After Night Falls
by DaughterOfPoseidon333
Summary: Sequel to The Edge Of Night. The aftermath of Danni's death has left the boys shaken. Dean is willing to sell his soul to get her back, but the demon Bane insists that she already owns him, putting Dean's life on the line. As the three of them delve into the mystery of Bane's plan, Dean and Danni are brought closer together. Danni has been resurrected, but at what cost? Dean/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry for the delayed update, I've been kinda busy lately. And I've been working on this chapter a really long time. It took a lot of arguing with myself to try and make it just right. So I hope you like my decision. **

**And might I add. Wow. We're done with part one and on to part two already! I'm a little amazed actually. And might I say so myself, I definitely think it's improved since chapter one. I know that my writing of this story has definitely improved since then. I'm working really hard to really get into the story and make it as good as possible for you guys. (And if I have stupid grammar or spelling mistakes, I apologize, I don't always catch them while proofreading.)**

**I want to thank all of you for your everlasting support!**

**I don't own Supernatural or any song lyrics.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 21: The Odds Against Us

_If we could only have this life for one more day_

_If we could only turn back time_

_You know I'll be your life, Your voice, Your reason to be_

_My love, my heart is beating for this moment in time_

_I'll find the words to say_

_Before you leave me today_

_-Moments; One Direction_

Dean gently laid Danni's limp and bloodied body in the back seat of the Impala. Though Dean had been around dead bodies, lots of them, before, it surprised him how cold Danni's body felt already.

The private conversation he had had with Chuck came to him, and the Prophet's last words rushed into his mind._ "Dean, before you go…I don't know when I'll be able to see you again, so I just want you to know, whatever happens next, whatever happens down the road…it's not your fault. None of it is. It's destiny. Just the way it's meant to be. I just wanted you to know that it's not your fault. Don't give up." Chuck looked a million years old as he said the words. Old and tired. His eyes timeless and unreadable. The eyes of someone who knew what was coming, and had accepted that nothing could change the course of the future. _

_ Then the Prophet disappeared._

Dean's vision swam, and he leaned heavily against the Impala for a moment trying to regain his breath. Angrily, he shut the door to the back. The sun had set, and Dean angrily wiped the last of his tears away before climbing into the driver's seat. Dean shoved the key into the ignition, hearing the familiar rumble of the Chevy as it started up. He slammed his foot down on the gas, turning a thirty minute drive into a ten minute one.

As he pulled up to Bobby's house, Dean saw Sam pull the curtain aside and look out the window. Sam turned his head towards somebody inside the house, and said something, probably announcing that he and Danni were back. What they didn't know was that Dean and Danni _were _back, but Danni wasn't going to be walking herself in. Dean opened the door, and gingerly pulled Danni's body out, cradling her against his chest. If you didn't look too closely, it almost looked like she was sleeping.

Sam was waiting at the door, holding it open. Dean walked through quickly enough so that Sam didn't notice anything was wrong. Dean wanted to tell Sam and Bobby at the same time. He didn't think he'd be able to repeat the words 'she's dead' more than once. Dean paused in the den, not knowing how to start. Luckily he didn't have to.

"Boy? You okay? You look kinda pale. Everything alr-?" Bobby started to say, each word was one more needle in Dean's heart.

"Is that blood?" Sam burst out suddenly, interrupting Bobby.

Then Sam and Bobby took a look at Danni in Dean's arms. Bobby stood up from his seat at his desk.

"It's not my blood…" Dean mumbled, trailing off.

"Is Danni okay? Dean, is she hurt?" Bobby asked gently, slowly, taking in the expression on Dean's face.

_Is Danni okay? _The words bounced around in Dean's head, giving him a headache to add to the heartache.

"She's…" Dean swallowed audibly. "She's dead."

Dean mumbled the last word so quietly, he didn't think they heard, but then he looked at their faces and knew they had. Looking at Bobby's face, Dean realized Bobby was wearing the exact same expression that he had worn after Dean and Sam had to tell him that Ellen and Jo Harvelle were dead. Bobby stumbled for a moment before finding his way back to the chair at his desk. Sam had tears brimming in his eyes, his eyebrows crinkled together. Dean almost smiled. His brother: half ruthless monster murderer, half sensitive puppy-dog.

No one said anything for a very long time. Dean looked down at Danni's pale face. She looked so peaceful; it was hard to believe she was actually dead. Dean swallowed the lump in his throat. She was just a girl. So why did he feel like dying himself? Yes, they were friends, and they had hunted together, but he had only known her for a few months. Why did it hurt so much?

"Dean?" Sam asked him, looking at him expectantly. Dean hadn't even heard what they had said.

"What?" he asked.

"Why don't you bring Danni upstairs, son. Then we can…just why don't you go lay her down upstairs." Bobby repeated wearily.

Dean just nodded. He didn't want to talk for fear that he might break down. He couldn't afford to do that right now. Dean stood, trying to keep his legs from shaking, and headed upstairs with Danni in his arms. The door to her room was open a crack, and he used his foot to nudge it open. He laid Danni down on her bed. Now she really looked like she was sleeping. Dean stared down at her for a moment. Dean leaned down to fold her hands across the gash in her stomach, when he noticed something sticking out of the inner pocket of her jacket. He pulled it out gently, realizing that it was a photo.

There were three people in the photo. There was an older man in the middle with dark hair and sparkling, mischievous brown eyes. He was sitting on the hood of an old pick-up truck, with two kids on either side of him. One was a boy, a spitting image of the older man. The other child was a girl, clearly beautiful, even as a kid. She had brilliant blue eyes, dark hair, and was laughing, her father smiling down at her, and her brother playfully tickling her.

With a start, Dean realized with a start that the little girl in the photo was Danni. So the boy must've been her brother, James; the older man was her father, Logan. Dean smiled at the picture. It was clear that at the time, Danni had been with the people that made her happiest.

Dean tucked the photo back into Danni's pocket. Then he leaned down and placed his lips to her cool forehead.

"I'll kill Bane, Danni. For you. I'll kill her for you. If it's the last thing I do." He whispered.

Dean straightened, and with one last glance at the beautiful girl from the picture, he left the room.

Dean headed down the stairs quickly, and stopped short when he saw the two angels in the den. Bobby was sitting at his desk, purposely not looking at Kallista or Castiel. Sam was sitting awkwardly on the couch by the window. It was clear that the angels had been waiting for Dean.

Dean didn't know what to say. Did they already know about Danni? He decided to start small. "Hi."

Kallista scowled, and Sam gave him a look that said: _Really? Hi? _Cas just looked at Dean, trying to read his face.

"We came to see how your meeting with Chuck went." Kallista stated.

So they didn't know about Danni.

"Uh, fine. It went fine." Dean managed to choke out.

"What did Chuck tell you?" Cas asked calmly.

So Dean told the angels, and Bobby and Sam, what Chuck said. After he finished, Bobby looked like he was thinking about something again. The angels looked troubled, like their worst thoughts had just been confirmed. Kallie and Cas had a silent conversation.

"Thank you for speaking with Chuck." Kallie started. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to speak with my daughter."

Silence.

Dean looked at Sam and Bobby, but they looked as panicked and as nervous as he did. Kallista glanced up at the ceiling, then headed for the stairs.

"Wait," Dean protested, standing in front of her, blocking the angel's path.

Kallista glared at him. "What is it?"

Dean opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He glanced at Sam again. His brother nodded.

"Uh, I'll go with you. I think Danni has my duffel bag. Sam, Bobby, you guys can fill Cas in." Dean said quietly.

Kallista didn't look too happy about him coming upstairs with her, but she didn't say anything. Once upstairs, Dean stopped Kallista before she could walk into Danni's room.

"Wait-" he started.

"Now what?" Kallista said angrily.

"I just…I don't think it's a good idea if you disturb her right now."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because…just because." Dean said lamely.

Kallista ignored him and started pushing the door open.

"Stop!" Dean shouted, pushing the angel back.

Before she could react, Dean shouted: "Danni's dead!"

Kallista stopped dead in her tracks. She turned her ice cold, steely gaze on him. Before Dean could continue, Kallista grabbed the front of his jacket and shoved him against the closest wall. Dean grunted as he hit. He looked at Kallista.

"I hope for your sake that I heard you wrong." Kallista said, deadly calm.

"You didn't. I'm sorry. Danni, your daughter…she's dead. Bane killed her." Dean replied quietly. He met the angel's angry eyes.

For a moment, nothing happened. The angel and the hunter stared at each other, silent. Then Kallista let go of Dean, and marched into the room where her dead daughter lay. Dean watched as Kallista walked over to the bed, and fell to her knees beside it. She was quiet for the longest time, and Dean just stood, waiting for her to cry or yell or punch him or all of the above.

Finally, after what felt like years, the angel stood. She turned to Dean and he was surprised to see that her eyes were shining with tears. Even though she was crying, her eyes held a murderous glow to them.

"Dean Winchester." She spoke the name like a curse, coming forward so that she was standing right in front of him, their noses almost touching. "I thought maybe my first impressions of you were wrong after what you did to save Daniella in Oregon… turns out I was wrong."

The angel glared at him with hate in her eyes before turning hastily away towards the door.

"Where're you goin'?" Dean managed to ask her.

The angel paused. Without looking at him, she said, "I'm going to save my daughter."

Then she disappeared.

Dean went over and slumped to the floor by Danni's bed, wondering what he did to get Kallista to hate him so much.

-:-:-:-:-:-

A couple of hours after Dean and Kallista had headed upstairs, Sam followed. Sam paused outside of Danni's room. Sam knew she was dead. He didn't even find it hard to believe. She _had _been traveling with Dean and him. She had almost been destined to die if she was around them. Everyone who ever came in contact with them died, eventually. It was a curse Sam strongly believed his family possessed. Even their grandparents had been murdered by something supernatural, and that had been long before Sam or Dean was even born.

Sighing, Sam pushed the door open. He took in the sight of Danni, pale and unmoving, on the bed. It was horrible. It reminded Sam of his dead girlfriend, Jessica Moore. It had taken a long time to get over her, and he knew he would never _truly _get over her. He had loved her. Always would love her. That didn't just go away. Sam pushed away the thoughts, not wanting to feel the sensation like he was choking whenever he thought about her death.

Sam walked over by the bed. He lightly touched the back of Danni's hand. It was cold, and Sam drew his fingers away. Sam liked Danni. She was strong, tough, and independent. But she could be sensitive too, caring and polite. And she didn't flaunt anything about herself; not her body or the fact that she was half angel. She wasn't perfect, and she knew it. Sam admired her for it. Sam still felt that his imperfections made him different, a freak. But he had started to accept it. Though he would never admit it out loud, Danni had been helping him with that, without her even knowing.

Sam already missed her.

She had been a good friend. And she had been good for all of them. Bobby, too. And she had been especially good for Dean. She had been helping him get over losing Lisa and Ben, which Sam knew still affected Dean. But now Danni was gone, too, and Sam knew it would hurt his brother.

Sam turned to leave, not wanting to watch another dead friend. As he walked towards the door, Sam saw Dean hunched in the corner, asleep. Sam smiled. He shouldn't have been, but it was nice to see his older brother sleeping somewhat peacefully. It made his features look younger, less strained and tired. Almost like a kid again.

For some reason, Sam thought about when he and Dean had been shot by other hunters, and sent to heaven. He thought about his brother, reliving the happy memories of Mom, before she had died. Before Dean's childhood had been cut short. Though he and Dean had both been dead, on the run from angels, and they were just memories, Dean had looked happy.

"_What happens next?" Sam asked Dean, after watching Mom hang up the phone after talking to Dad._

_Dean didn't reply, but stood up and walked over to Mom_, _and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, Mom. Dad still loves you. I love you, too. I'll never leave you."_

The memory made Sam's chest tighten. Sam hadn't realized before that moment how much Dean was like their mom, or how long Dean had been looking out for the members of his family. He had been just a kid, and he still had to play the role of a grown-up. And right now, sitting in the dusty corner of Danni's bedroom, sleeping and still watching over Danni at the same time, it made Sam think of the little kid version of his big brother. The little kid version that, even at the age of four, would die for those he loved.

Sam pulled a blanket from off the end of the bed, and laid it over his brother's sleeping form. Sam didn't wasn't to wake him. He looked peaceful. Sam didn't know the last time Dean had looked that way. Sam left the room, closing the door behind him, the memory of Dean and Mom still fresh in his mind. It made him smile.

-:-:-:-:-

Dean stirred and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He felt well rested for the first time in a while. No nightmares had haunted him as he slept. Dean moved, causing several joints throughout his body to crack from the stiffness of being in the same position so long. Dean saw that a blanket had been draped over him while he slept. His first thought was that Danni had done it, but then he remembered. Danni was dead.

Dean got up quickly, without looking at the bed where Danni's body lay, and headed downstairs. He needed something to drink.

"And Sleeping Beauty finally awakes." Bobby teased as Dean walked into the den.

"Shut up," Dean grumbled quietly as he headed over to the kitchen to grab a glass. When he came back into the den, he swiped the bottle of Scotch that had been sitting on Bobby's desk, and filled the glass halfway. Dean drank it down without taking a breath, then filled the glass once again.

"How long was I asleep?" Dean asked his brother.

"About four hours." Sam replied.

Dean glanced at the clock on Bobby's desk. It said12:47 A.M. Dean took another drink from his glass, then looked at Bobby and Sam. They both looked tired. Sam looked like he was about to fall over, and Bobby's face was about to meet the book in front of him.

"Why don't you guys go catch some z's. I'll call down if anything happens." Dean said.

They both protested, but with a little more persuasion, Dean got both of them to head upstairs to their rooms. Besides, Dean needed some time alone. He didn't need Sam and Bobby worrying about him. He was worrying enough for all three of them.

Dean put down his empty glass, grabbed the scotch bottle by its neck, and headed outside. Dean unlocked the Impala and grabbed his and Danni's duffel bags from the back seat. As he walked back into the house, dean nearly ran into Danni's mom.

"Son of a-" Dean started to say as the angel just appeared in front of him. Dean nearly dropped the scotch bottle in his hand. He wisely set it down, and tossed the duffel bags onto the couch.

"Dean, you may want to wake your brother and Mr. Singer. They're going to want to hear this as well." Kallista said.

Minutes later, when a sleepy Sam and an irritable Bobby were downstairs, Kallista jumped right into it.

"We've encountered a problem with resurrecting Daniella," the angel started.

Dean, Sam and Bobby immediately perked up and listened more intently.

"What do you mean 'a problem'?" Dean said, narrowing his eyes at the angel.

Kallista shifted, looking upset. "We can't resurrect Danni without a soul. We could reanimate her body, much like Castiel did with Sam when he pulled Sam from Hell, but without a soul, Daniella would be much like Sam was. Not quite human."

Dean cast a look at his brother, who looked uncomfortable with the mention of his soulless period the year before. "Okay," Dean started. "still not seeing the problem here. Just go get her soul back like you always do when you bring someone back."

Kallista looked even more upset now. "I would. But we can't find it. Her soul, it's been hidden from us."

"Hidden? By who?" Sam asked.

"Bane."

**So? What did you think? I hope you liked it. I'll see when I get the next chapter up, it might be a little bit because I've been pretty busy with school, and I start work soon, but I'll try to have the next one up by next weekend.**

**And I want to hear your theories. What do you think is gonna happen next?**

**Please review!**

**Until next chapter,**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	2. Chapter 2

**So sorry I wasn't able to get this up sooner, I have been so busy! With school starting and work starting up for me again, I haven't had much time to get on the computer to type all of this up. **

**I've got this whole part of the story planned out, I just have to get it written down, so I might not be able to update as often as I would like to, but I'm going to try and update at least once a week. Maybe every two weeks, depending on how long the chapter is. **

**This chapter **_**did **_**take longer, but that's because it's a much longer chapter than the last one.**

**I want to send a billion thanks to Tigereyekum for sticking with me and reviewing every chapter! Thanks so, So, SO much! **

**This should set an example for the rest of you. Please review! Seriously, reviews make my whole day! Honestly, I don't care if you leave one word, just please, please tell me what you think, otherwise I don't know how I'm doing.**

**Alright, enough ranting. I don't own Supernatural.**

**ENJOY!**

Chapter 22: Let's Make a Deal

Silence filled the room, suffocating Dean. Hidden. Danni's soul was _hidden. _Meaning the angels couldn't bring her back. _They couldn't bring her back._ Dean's heart plummeted to the floorboards. He tried to move, or make a sound of protest, yell or scream profanities till his face was blue and his throat was bleeding.

But everything he wanted to say jammed in his throat. Luckily Sam, god bless the kid who knew him better than anyone, noticed his struggle and spoke up instead.

"Hidden? By Bane? Is there some way you can, I don't know…unhide it or something?" Sam said, confusion blanketing his face. Dean looked at Sam. He was wearing the expression he wore when he didn't know something. Sam hated it when he didn't know something.

Kallista looked weary as she pivoted towards Sam. "No, we can't. Bane used some sort of spell, a very old spell, to mask the location of her soul. Only Bane will know where it is. Either she has to give us the location of the soul or give us the soul itself."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Bobby muttered.

Sam shot his a disbelieving look, but Bobby just shrugged.

"Bobby's right," Dean started, finding his voice, though it didn't sound super convincing. "Bane's not just gonna hand over Danni's soul. She hid it for a reason. Now that she's killed Danni and used her soul, Bane has no use for it, which means she's probably holding it to use as leverage. She's sending us a message. Bane wants something, and she won't give us Danni's soul until she gets what she came for."

"You know, Dean, I couldn't have said it better myself."

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Bane," Sam said under his breath as the four of them spun around to face the demon.

She was leaning casually against the entryway to the den, wearing a leather jacket, jeans, and heeled boots. The blonde girl was the same one from the house in Oregon where Dean and Danni had been tortured. Bane eyed each of them in turn, her eyes merely skimming over Kallista, Bobby, and himself. Her eyes lingered on Dean, though, appreciatively looking him up and down. Bane turned back towards Kallista, she opened her mouth to speak, but just sighed heavily.

"Dean, I don't think _guns_ are really the appropriate way to greet the demon who holds your beloved Danni's soul." Bane swung her head and smirked at dean.

Sam looked over at his older brother to see him putting a salt-round loaded shotgun back in its basket next to one of Bobby's bookshelves. As Bane sauntered into the center of the room, Sam shot a look at his brother, who still had his eyes glued on Bane, looking like he hoped he could just Force-choke the demon instead.

Sam turned back to Bane who was now looking at Kallista.

"Hmm, like mother like daughter I guess." Bane mused quietly.

Kallista, who looked murderous with her icy blue eyes, just crossed her arms and glowered at the demon. Sam was afraid Kallista was going to body-slam Bane all the way back down to Hell, but the angel didn't move.

"Well this is a chatty group." Bane commented, breaking the tense silence.

"What do you want, Bane?" Dean growled.

The demon turned to the elder Winchester, a smile plastered on her pale face.

Sam wanted to slap the confident smile right off her face.

"I think you said something about me wanting something you have…." Bane trailed off, an eyebrow raised.

"Okay, what do you want from us?" Dean asked again.

"Well first I want your Sasquatch of a brother, not-father, and mother of your desired girlfriend to go outside so we can have a little chat. In private." Bane replied breezily.

_Shoulda seen that one comin', _Sam thought. He looked over at Bobby and Dean. Every fiber of Sam's being told him to stay and watch his brother's back, but if they didn't listen to Bane, they might not get Danni's soul, and Sam couldn't do that. They _had _to get her soul back. Sam sighed and nodded. Bobby nodded, too. Then they all turned to look at Kallista. She looked at the three of them, and then headed towards the door.

"Guess we'll be outside. Sam," Bobby said to Dean as they headed for the back door. Then Bobby turned to Sam, defeat in his eyes. "grab the whiskey."

Sam cast one last glance at his brother. He was wearing a look Sam had seen before. The look that meant he was going to do something completely stupid. Sam sighed, dreading what he was going to come back to.

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Alright," Dean addressed Bane, spreading his arms. "we're alone. What do you want?"

"Right down to business, are we?" Bane teased, strolling up to him so they were only inches away.

Even though her meat-suit was a head shorter, Dean still found the demon intimidating with her unwavering eyes and everlasting smirk. Dean clenched his jaw, putting on his poker-face, refusing to show even a sliver of emotion that would betray his true feelings.

"I'm done with the games, Bane. I'll do whatever you want, just give me her soul back." Dean growled.

Bane leaned up, flattening her hands against his chest. They were cold through the thin fabric of his t-shirt.

"Whatever I want, huh?" she whispered seductively into his ear. "That's a dangerous promise to make. You know I have no limits when it comes to you, Dean. Guess I just have a weak spot for you."

"Does that mean you'll just give me her soul back then? No harm, no foul?" Dean gave her a brilliant smile, which she responded to by throwing her head back in a laugh.

"That's funny, Dean. Really. Do you honestly think I would go to all the trouble of hiding Danni's soul if I didn't plan on getting what I came for?"

"It was worth a shot. Had to try didn't I?" Dean grimaced, the little shred of hope deflating in his chest. "So I'll ask again, what do you want?"

"Well," Bane said, stepping away, her voice turning business like. "I actually came for two things. The first thing…well to put it simply, I want Danni's Grace."

Dean blinked, sure that he had heard wrong. "What?"

"_Her Grace. _I want it." Bane said, enunciating each word carefully.

"_Why?_" Dean asked.

"Because, do you know how much power angel Grace holds? Pure angel Grace is like a nuclear bomb. And I want it." Bane said, her voice raising an octave.

Dean narrowed his eyes. That could be a tell.

"You're lying," Dean smirked, taking a step forward so he towered over her. "What do you really want her Grace for?"

"Fine," Bane whispered, looking mildly surprised at Dean's confrontation. "The truth? A Nephilim is the only thing that can kill me. And Danni is—oh, that's right! The only surviving Nephilim. Well, I suppose that anti-Christ boy, Jesse could kill me, but he's not involved, so I don't care. But Danni is close, and she's involved. If I have her Grace, she is no longer half-angel, which means she can't kill me. Simple as that."

"Now you're the one that's being funny. Why on earth would I give you the only thing that has the juice to kill you?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"_Because, _Dean, unless you give me what _I _want, then you don't get what _you _want. Understand?"

"So-?"

"So you bring me Danni's Grace. I'll come back here in an hour to collect it, then I'll give you Danni's Grace." Bane interrupted quickly.

"Fine. But how exactly do you expect me to get her Grace?" Dean asked after a moment.

"Oh, I'm sure Kallista can help you with that. Remember, she wants her daughter back almost as much as you do. She'll do _anything _to get Danni back." Bane, said, staring at Dean.

"I guess we're done here then." Dean said, turning around.

"Ah, not quite, Dean. Remember? I said there were _two _things that I wanted from you?" Bane said from behind him.

"What else do you want?" Dean said angrily, turning back around to face the demon.

"Well. I need something from you, now. It's for a spell I'm performing. I already have all the other pieces, the blood, the hearts I took from those hunters I killed, and a lot of different herbs that I'm not going to name." Bane said, not quite getting to her point, making Dean think that whatever she needed from him, it wasn't anything good.

"What do you need form me?" Dean asked warily.

"Your consent." Bane answered plainly.

"You need my consent to perform a spell?"

"Well, yes, considering the spell is for you."

"For me? What kind of spell is it?" Dean asked, the bad feeling in his gut getting heavier.

"It's kind of like a tracking spell. A little bit like GPS. So I can find you anywhere, anytime." Bane smirked, sharing some kind of inside joke with herself.

"Alright, get to the punch line already, Bane. Why do you need my consent for this spell?" Dean demanded, getting impatient with Bane's elusiveness.

"Well, the truth is…" Bane pursed her lips, looking down at her toes. When she looked back up, her eyes were cold, menacing, and pure white. "This spell is so I can find you so I can kill you. You're going to die, and I'm going to drag you back down to Hell myself. That's the truth."

Dean couldn't help it, he stumbled back, his eyes going wide in shock. _You're going to die, and I'm going to drag you back down to Hell myself._ Her words echoed in his mind, causing his heart to fall through the floor, and panic to rise up in his throat, gagging him.

Hell.

He wouldn't go back there. He _couldn't. _The last time he had, it had nearly killed him. No pun intended. But last time…_last time, _something had broken in him. It broke and it was un-repairable. It couldn't be fixed. Stitched up, yes, but never completely healed. It had been almost four years since the first time, but memories of Hell still plagued him, haunted him. They tore at his mind and caused him to wake up in the middle of the night, blanketed in sweat, and not sure if he was still in Hell or not.

Bane had been regarding him with her milky, opaque eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips as she watched the realization of her words sink in.

"Don't act like you weren't expecting it, Dean." Bane whispered, her eyes returning to normal.

Dean _had _thought about who Bane's next target would be after she killed Danni. And he had a nagging suspicion that it would be him, but it was still a shock to hear Bane say she was going to kill him.

"Okay, so I've thought about it. I figured I'd be next." Dean choked out, his voice sounded foreign and very far away. "wouldn't selling my soul to you just be easier?"

"Well, not really. In reality, I don't even _need _the spell to find you. It just saves time. And the spell allows my hellhounds to find you too." Bane replied flippantly. "So, Dean? Are you going to give me your consent? Remember, if you don't, you'll never see Danni up and around on two feet. _Ever. Again._"

Dean paused. No matter what happened to him, he had to save Danni. He got her into this mess. He had to get her out. "Okay." Dean whispered.

"What? I didn't quite catch that, Dean." Bane taunted.

"I said yes." Dean replied loudly.

Bane grinned hugely. "Great. See wasn't that easy? Now, about her Grace, I'll see you in an hour, Dean. You better bring her Grace, or else you'll be deciding what kind of flowers to put on Danni's grave."

And with that, Bane disappeared, leaving behind the smell of sulfur and a chill in the air.

**Okay, yes, I had Dean deal with a demon again, but hey, I needed him to for my story to work. And you'll see how if you keep reading.**

**So again, sorry for the late update, but hopefully I will get the next chapter up sooner because I already have half of it written out. But we'll see. I'm super busy, but I'm trying.**

**And sorry for any typos. Trying not to get as many of those.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I **_**really **_**need to hear your feedback! Besides, more reviews means I more motivated to update faster. It's a win-win situation!**

**Thanks for all your support, and for enduring the story this far!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to all who reviewed! Seriously, you have no idea how happy reviews make me. You should see the huge grin I get on my face when they pop up in my email =)**

**Your support means so much, so thank you!**

**And I realized it's a lot easier to update faster when you don't have any homework.**

**So, because I didn't have any homework last night or today, here's the next chapter.**

**I don't own Supernatural or any song lyrics.**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. and I realized I forgot song lyrics on my last chapter, so I'll put two on this chapter. Do you guys like the song lyrics? Or not? If you answer, please leave it in a review or P.M. me! Thanks, I just wanted to know!**

Chapter 23: Answers and Awakenings

_I could be anything_

_But for the fault that I've acquired on my way…_

_I would give anything_

_But for the grace of God I'm here and still aware…_

_All of the time we've lost_

_All of the love we gave_

_And now these hands are tied_

_I can't help thinking_

_That I was in a daze I was losing my place_

_I was screaming out at everything_

_Waiting for the walls to come down _

_Before my moments start to fade_

_But everything that's perfect falls away_

_-Sleeping at the Wheel; Matchbox 20_

"What were you thinking, Dean!" Sam yelled once they had all gathered back in Bobby's house.

Dean had told them all what had happened with Bane, and he had been getting yelled at for almost an hour now. His time to deliver Danni's Grace was almost out, but Sam wasn't letting up any.

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's stupid question. Sam knew him well enough. Sam _knew _why. But being Sam, he still chose to argue about it. And even if Dean had had a choice about dying for Danni, he still would've done it. He couldn't act like he didn't think about selling his soul in the first place.

"Sam-" Dean started.

"No, Dean. Your brother's right," Bobby added.

Dean looked at the older hunter, the man that in so many ways had become a second father to him. Bobby looked tired, and Dean felt guilty for putting all this on him again.

"Haven't we been through this enough, boy? Haven't you two learned your lesson by now? How many times are you two going to have to sell your souls to demons before you realize that it _never _ends well?" Bobby asked, but he didn't sound angry. Just tired, leaving Dean feeling guiltier than ever.

"I did it for Danni," dean flicked his eyes over to Kallista. She was the only one who hadn't yelled at him for being a 'stupid-ass'. "Danni didn't deserve this. I brought her into this mess; I had to get her out. Besides, Bane wasn't exactly giving me an option. She was gonna kill me anyway, spell or no spell. And she probably would've kept bugging us until she got what she wanted."

"Yeah, why does she want Danni's Grace?" Sam demanded.

"I _told _you, already. A Nephilim is the only thing that's got the power to gank Bane. Bane wants Danni's Grace so she becomes completely human, then Danni can't kill Bane and the demon bitch wins." Dean snapped back at his brother.

Sam started yelling at him and the room was soon filled with yelling.

"Enough!"

Dean and Sam all froze at Kallista's outburst. The angel glared at them, but her eyes were shining like she had been trying hard not to cry. "Knock it off, both of you. You're both right, so stop arguing. What's done is done. We can't do anything about it. What we _can _do is figure out a way to trick Bane into thinking we're giving her Danni's Grace."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Bobby asked.

"Well, angel Graces are specific to each angel, like fingerprints or DNA. But like DNA, for family, Graces would be similar enough that you may not be able to tell the difference. Or at least, not until it's too late." Kallista said, wearing the same expression that Danni wore when she was figuring out a complicated puzzle in her head.

"Yeah, you lost me." Dean muttered.

"I get it," Sam said. "But if I'm thinking what you're thinking…are you sure?"

Kallista inhaled slowly. "Yes. It's for Danni. You need her powers more than you need mine."

"Okay, enough with the secret code. Anyone care to explain?" Dean asked, arching an eyebrow.

Kallista took out a deep breath. "I'm going to rip out my Grace."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Dean and Sam were standing outside in Bobby's car lot five minutes before Bane's deadline.

"Sam, what if this doesn't work?" Dean asked in the same quiet voice he used when he was worried about the outcome of something huge. The same voice Dean had used almost three years ago when he told Sam that he was gonna let Sam say yes to Lucifer.

Sam stared off at the sky. There were no stars tonight. Just an endless, black cloud cover, which reminded Sam of black demon smoke. "Just follow the plan. If we follow the plan, it should be fine." Sam replied, though there was a part of him that was disbelieving as well.

The plan was that Dean would give Bane Kallista's Grace, instead of Danni's, then they would get Danni's soul back and she would still be half-angel and able to kill Bane. Kallista had ripped out her Grace, just as promised, though none of them had actually seen it because they would've been blinded. Now Dean held the little bottle of light in his fist, which was shoved into his jacket pocket. Kallista knew Bane would figure out eventually that it wasn't really Danni's Grace and probably return it, but they had a plan for when Bane did figure it out. He just prayed that it all worked out in the end.

"Hey, Dean?" Sam said.

"Yeah?"

Sam paused, not really sure where he wanted the conversation to go, he just wanted to somehow reassure his brother about…_everything. _"Even if…even if I don't completely agree with what you did, I've got your back. Whatever happens. We're family, we've got to look out for each other, no matter what. And I-"

"Aww, are you two having a moment? Sorry to have interrupted." Bane's voice interrupted them from across the clearing.

Sam immediately turned to look at the demon. She looked the same as she had an hour ago, except this time, she was carrying a square silver box with carvings intricately twining around the lid.

"Hiya, boys. Dean? Do you have it?" Bane said, immediately getting down to business, a note of impatience in her tone.

Dean picked up on in too. "Why are you in such a rush, huh? Thought you'd want to spend a little quality time with us Winchesters?"

"Any other time, sweetheart, but I've got things to do. My schedule's busy and I'd like the end of the world to start on schedule. So, where is it?" Bane replied.

Dean sighed, and pulled the vial out of his jacket pocket. The light from the Grace lit the space around them with white light. Bane grinned when she saw it.

"Great, so I'll just give you this-" Bane lifted the silver box and reached out another hand for the vial, but dean took a step back.

"Hold up. I want something before I give you anything." Dean said.

Bane clenched her teeth in annoyance. "What?"

"Before I give you this, I want you to promise, to swear, that you'll leave Sam, Danni, Bobby, Kallista, and Cas out of this. You don't touch them or harm them. This is between you and me now. Let's keep it that way. Deal?" Dean asked, his voice steady, and his eyes level with Bane's.

Bane's eyes were calculating, trying to find the ulterior motive to Dean's request. Apparently she didn't find any, because she sighed, and held her hand out again. Dean took a step forward, moving his hand towards the silver soon as his hand touched Bane's, the demon yanked him forward and crushed her lips to his. Dean, shocked, dropped the Grace. When Bane finally released his brother, Dean stooped to pick up the Grace, then gave Bane a confused look.

"What the hell was that?" Dean said breathlessly, running a hand across his mouth.

"You wanted to deal. I had to seal the deal. I'm a demon, it's law." Bane answered. "Now, the Grace, please."

"Give me her soul first," Dean said.

"Fine, here." Bane sighed with impatience.

She handed Dean the silver box, and Dean weighed it in his hands, his fingers still clenched tightly around the Grace. "Here," he said, tossing it to the demon.

Bane stared, mesmerized, the white light dancing across her face. She smiled, and turned back to them. Sam watched, afraid she might do something.

"Thanks, boys. Nice doin' business with you. Dean…I'll see you around." Bane smirked.

They turned back towards the house, but Bane's voice rang out into the night again. Sam and Dean listened with their backs to the demon.

"Oh, Dean…I know you'd do anything to protect her. Question is, are you man enough to tell her that before you die?"

Sam watched as his brother spun around, but Bane was gone. It was just the two of them and a silver box out in the dark lot. And yet, Sam still felt like Bane's white eyes were boring into him, pulling out his deepest secrets and fears and using them against him.

"Let's go," Dean muttered, as he started back towards the house, the silver box gripped so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"I couldn't agree more." Sam whispered to himself.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Sam sat on the couch in the den, watching his brother. Sam sat stiffly on the couch, sipping a beer halfheartedly, as Dean paced back and forth for a good hour. Sam was surprised there wasn't a trench running through the floor form his brother's continuous footsteps.

"When will he be done?" Dean demanded out loud.

"Like I said the last ten times, _I don't know._" Sam replied.

Dean paused his pacing to glare at him. "Smart-ass."

Dean resumed his pacing and Sam sighed. Cas had come to put Danni's Grace back. Kallista was off somewhere, power-less, so they had to call Cas down. Sam noticed that Cas seemed slightly less uptight and stressed out than last time they had seen him. Apparently having an all-powerful archangel like Gabriel made things a little easier to handle in Heaven.

But Dean was getting impatient and Sam was tired of watching him stress.

"What if something went wrong? What if that wasn't really her soul? Sam-"

"Dean! Would you stop worrying, I'm sure everything's fine. Just calm down, okay?" Sam interrupted his brother's ranting. "Bobby's up there with Cas. He would tell us if anything went wrong."

Sam watched Dean as he tried to take a deep breath.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. You're probably right. I-" Dean cut off as footsteps sounded on the stairs.

Seconds later, Bobby emerged, followed closely by Castiel.

"Well, what took you so long?" Dean snapped.

Bobby grumbled something about an impatient idjit as he went into the kitchen to grab a beer.

"I had to heal her wounds." Cas stated simply.

Dean frowned, hating the fact that Cas seemed unaffected with his yelling and impatience. "Well…thank you, Cas."

"You're welcome. I heard what Kallista did. Do you know where she went?" Cas said.

"No, we don't know. She just took off after she ripped her Grace out." Dean replied.

"Hey, Cas, if she ripped her Grace out, wouldn't that mean she's a fallen angel now? Wouldn't she be reborn like Anna?" Sam asked, Anna's face flashing in his mind at her name, the memory of being stabbed by her still fresh in his mind.

"Did she say anything, before she ripped her Grace out?"

"Yeah, she said some sort of incantation, in Enochian, I think." Sam replied.

"Then I believe she worked some sort of spell. She will be fine. She is merely human now, until she manages to get her Grace back." Cas said.

"What're we talkin' about?" Bobby said as he wandered back into the den.

"We were just-" Sam broke off as Dean collapsed next to him.

Dean started writhing, his arms and legs twitching all over the place. He let out a scream and started clutching at his chest, right where his heart was. A red light started to envelop him.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, falling to his knees, reaching out for his big brother. When Sam laid his hands on Dean, he immediately drew back, the light around Dean burning to the touch.

The red light disappeared, and Dean went limp, his eyes rolling back into his head. Sam shook him, trying to get his brother to regain consciousness.

"_Dean!_"

_Everyone here, knows everyone here is thinking about _

_Somebody else…_

_And everyone here, hates everyone here for doing just like _

_They do…_

_Everyone here, is wondering what it's like to be with _

_Somebody else _

_Everyone here's to blame, everyone here _

_Gets caught up in the pleasure of the pain, everyone hides _

_Shades of shame, but looking inside we're the same, we're _

_The same _

_And we're all grown now, but we don't know how _

_To get it back to good_

_-Back 2 Good; Matchbox Twenty_

**I know, the suspense is killing you isn't it? I know, I'm a horrible person, but it's kinda fun to see your reactions =)**

**The next chapter should be longer, but we'll see. And I'll try to update soon.**

**Don't forget to review! Pretty please! Do it for our boys, who are back tomorrow night in the SUPERNATURAL SEASON 8 PREMIERE! Who's excited?**

**As always, thanks for reading and reviewing and following and favoriting! I love you all!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, I promise we'll be getting back into the good stuff this chapter. That means a good ol' fashioned monster hunt!**

**I don't own Supernatural.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 24: Getting Back to Okay

Sam looked over at Dean on the couch in the den, in his unconscious state, for what felt like the millioneth time. He couldn't help it, though. It was in his nature to worry about his brother. It was pounded into his very heart and soul, and it was impossible not to check on Dean every thirty seconds. Bobby had told him to wait, that it was going to be okay, that Dean _would _wake up. Cas had said the same thing. _"Don't worry, Sam. He'll wake up. All in his own time."_

But Sam _did _worry. He had been up for probably two days straight now. He needed to sleep, he knew that, but the prospect of sleep made him want to puke. Sleep meant he couldn't watch over Dean. Sleep meant he would _dream. _He couldn't sleep. Not now. Not when Dean and Danni needed him.

Cas had put Danni's soul back in her body, resurrected her, but she was still asleep. Sam knew she would wake up, but he had to be there when she did, just in case Dean wasn't. Dean would be furious if Sam wasn't there when Danni woke up.

"Sam?" Bobby said from behind him, startling Sam from his thoughts.

"Yeah?" Sam replied, unable to keep the weariness from his voice as he turned towards the older hunter.

"Boy, why don't you go get some rest." Bobby urged gently.

"No, I'm fine."  
"Sam, you're dead on your feet. Don't make me force you to go to sleep."

Sam sighed. He figured Bobby's definition of 'making him sleep' meant knocking him upside the head. Saw wanted to point out that _unconscious_ wasn't the same thing as _asleep_, but there was no point in arguing.

"Okay. Wake me up in a few hours. I want to be there when Dean wakes up." Sam said, then trudged towards the stairs. As soon as his body hit the bed, Sam was out.

And the dreams started.

Sam couldn't remember the last time he had slept dreamlessly. It had been so long that he had endured the fires of Hell behind closed eyes that it was hard to focus on the rare good dreams he had. Like the dreams about Gwen. He thought about her a lot. He thought about those few days they had spent together as he hunted the banshee, and how those had been the best days he'd had in a long, _long _time.

He dreamt about her now, and it started out much the same as all his dreams about her. They were alone, just lying together. Sam had his arm wrapped around her, stroking his face. She leaned into his touch like she always did.

"Sam," she whispered, again just like she always did in his dream.

But then the dream changed.

Instead of leaning in to kiss him, tears started to fall from her eyes. "Sam…why? Why, Sam?"

Sam saw Gwen's mouth move, but the voice that came out wasn't her own. It was Jessica's. Sam forced himself to snap out of the dream, but not before he watched Gwen burst into flames, blood dripping from her stomach, crying out for him, blaming him.

"_Why, Sam?"_

Sam gasped, his eyes snapping open. He rolled over, not sure of where he was…until he remembered. He was at Bobby's house. Sam looked around, moving his head back and forth. Then he moved his eyes to the ceiling, sure he would see Gwen taking her last, gasping breath…but there was nothing. Just the dirty, off-white, cracked plaster.

Running his fingers through his hair, Sam glanced at the clock on the bed-side stand. 6:03 A.M... Awesome. Wait…

"Why'd you let me sleep so long?" Sam asked Bobby once he was dressed and downstairs. He was in the kitchen with Bobby, who was cooking breakfast.

"Because you needed the rest. You boys don't sleep enough." Bobby replied as he flipped a dozen sausages in a frying pan and scrambled eggs in another.

"Thirteen hours, Bobby?" Sam demanded skeptically.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, boy. Besides, if Dean or Danni had woken up, I would've gotten you up too. Nothing happened. Well, except that Dean started talking in his sleep an hour ago when I got up."

Sam glanced through the kitchen doors at the sleeping form of his big brother. "Really?" Sam snorted. "What'd he say?"

"A bunch of incomprehensible crap. Then quite a bit about Danni." Bobby finished quietly, getting the faraway look in his eyes that usually meant he was thinking about something foreboding.

"What?" Sam inquired.

"Nothing,"

"Oh really?"

"It's just…" Bobby trailed off with a sigh. "I just don't want Dean to get his hopes up about Danni. I mean, I think she's great, but if she really leaves…I just don't know what he'd do if she left. He's already lost so many people. Both of you have."

"But that's assuming she's actually going to leave," Sam replied.

"You don't think she will? I mean look at the crap we've already gotten her into."

"Exactly. I think she's pretty far in to leave. And Dean clearly likes her. I mean, come on, Bobby, _he sold his soul for her._"

"You're mad that he sold his soul? Even though Bane was leaving him with two options: 'yes and die' or 'no and die'?" Bobby asked, keeping his eyes on the food cooking in front of him.

"Well, yeah. Haven't we been through this enough already? I just think it was a stupid move on his part." Sam grumbled.

"Wouldn't you sell your soul if it meant bringing back Jessica? Or what if it had been Gwen in Danni's place? Sam, you would've done the same thing if you had been in Dean's shoes." Bobby said firmly, looking straight at Sam.

Sam froze. _Would _he sell his soul if he could bring Jess back? Or what if something had happened to Gwen? Sam swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He _knew _he would've dealt with Bane.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Bobby." Sam said quietly.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to." Bobby said, serving up the eggs and sausage onto two plates and handing one to Sam.

Even though he wasn't all that hungry, Sam ate. Bobby sat at his desk, looking at some of the local newspapers to see if there were any strange deaths in the headlines or obits.

"I think I'm going to visit Gwen," Sam said, half speaking to himself.

Bobby looked up and blinked. "I'd ask what brought this on, but I'm sure you'll just lecture me. Well, have fun, I guess."

Sam got up and cleared his plate. "I'm gonna get packed and then head out. I'll be back in a few days. You'll-"

"'Call if something happens'. Yeah, I know. Go. Go enjoy yourself. Relax. And for God-sakes, Sam, _stop worrying._"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Dean groaned and rubbed his eyes, trying to sit up. He was almost upright, when a sharp pain stabbed through his chest. He gasped and heaved himself upright, breathing hard. He lifted up the hem of his t-shirt, trying to find the source of the pain. There, just over his heart, was some sort of a demonic symbol: an upside down pentagram inside of a triangle, with unfamiliar symbols scrawled etched in each corner. It was black, like it had been burned into his flesh. He brushed his fingers over the mark, and winced, just the light touch sending pain reverberating through his body.

_"It's kind of like a tracking spell. A little bit like GPS. So I can find you anywhere, anytime."_

Bane's words echoed in his head. Dean wondered if this was the result of Bane's spell. If so, he hoped it was removable. Dean pulled his shirt back down, and swung his legs over the side of the couch. He stretched his limbs and twisted his back, the joints popping and cracking. Dean stood up, and almost fell back over. His head spun and his stomach did somersaults. Dean groaned, resting his hands on his knees to support himself. He managed to stumble to the kitchen sink and turn it on. He splashed water on his face, the cold helping the dots before his eyes disappear. Whatever Bane's spell did, the side effects were a bitch.

Dean wiped his face with a paper towel, and headed back into the den. On his way, he passed the dining room table, and saw a note he hadn't noticed.

_Dean, if you wake up and see this, I'm in town on a supply run. Sam's in Detroit visiting Gwen. I'll be back this afternoon. –Bobby_

Dean crumpled the note into a ball and tossed it in the trash. He was about to grab something to eat, when he remembered. Danni. Without a second thought, Dean headed up the stairs. Standing outside her room, he slowly turned the knob on the door, and eased the door open. Ti was dark as Dena stepped inside. He groped for the light-switch, but ran into Danni instead. He saw her shape in the dark as she instinctively swung out a leg, knocking his feet out from underneath him.

"Whoa, Danni, hold up! It's me! It's Dean!" He shouted as she pinned him to the hard floor.

He could hear her breathing slow as she understood what he had said. "Dean?"

"Yeah, it's me." Dean replied.

Danni's weight disappeared and the light flickered on above his head. Danni stood above him, still in her bloody shirt and jeans. Through the gash in her shirt, Dean could see where Bane had stabbed her, but all that was left was a thin white scar. She looked down at him, her blue eyes wide, and the smallest of smiles playing on her lips. She offered him a hand and he took it.

Once Dean was back on two feet, before Danni could let go, Dean crushed her to him, wrapping his arms around her. She didn't even protest, but wound her arms around his neck. Dean ignored the pain in his chest as the mark burned. He forced himself to forget about everything and just enjoy Danni's embrace while he still could. He wouldn't let himself think about anything but the softness of her skin, the warmth of her body, the lingering smell of her coconut shampoo in her hair as it tickle his cheek, and the very much alive feel of her in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he murmured.

Reluctantly, Dean pulled back so he could see her face. It was the way her eyebrows scrunched together in the middle and her lips formed a slight pout that told him she was thinking really hard about something.

"What is it? What're you thinking about?" Dean asked, though he thought he might already know the answer.

"I-" Danni broke off, and Dean noticed that she was trembling slightly.

"Dean…did I die?" Danni whispered, glancing down at the floor. Her hands wrung together, and Dean noticed there were still traces of blood on her fingers.

Dean placed his hands over hers, steadying her shaking hands. "Danni, I…there's something I need to tell you."

-:-:-:-:-:-

"So you're gonna die," Danni murmured, barely audible. She wasn't even sure she had spoken aloud.

Dean had told her what had happened- everything about her death and Bane coming to make a deal with Dean and about her mom ripping her Grace out-and now she was trying to process it all. The hardest to swallow was the fact that Dean was going to die. And what made it worse? He was going to die all because of her. It was her soul he had been trying to save. And now he was going to Hell. Bane was going to drag him to Hell.

Danni kept her eyes on her bloodied shirt, hoping Dean wouldn't see the tears forming in her eyes. God, when had she become so emotional? She had never been this much of an emotional mess before meeting Dean. Whatever he did to make her emotions come out and play, he better had knock it off or it was going to be impossible to leave. If she ever did.

"Yeah. I guess so. I'm gonna die. But, hey, if we can find Bane and kill her before she kills me, the whole deal would be shot. Can't have a deal if the demon that made it is dead." Dean replied finally.

"Yeah, that's _if _we can find her and _if _I can kill her." Danni said.

"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine," Dean muttered.

Danni sighed. "Sorry. You're right. We've bumped into her before. We just need to get close enough for me to kill her."

"Right. And you _will _be able to kill her. You killed Dmitri. All you need is a little more practice and you'll be in tip-top shape to smite the hell out of Bane." Dean said, giving her an encouraging smile.

Danni looked over at him, and couldn't help but smile back. They would figure this out. They always did. "You're right."

"Course I am. Now, I don't know about you, but I am _starving. _I'll go make us something to eat." Dean said, clutching at his abdomen for emphasis.

Danni couldn't help but agree. And, with perfect timing, her stomach growled loudly. Dean laughed, and got up off of her bed.

"I'll be down soon. I wanna shower and get changed." Danni called out to him as he headed downstairs.

Danni grabbed a fresh pair of clothes, and headed into the bathroom across the hall. She shucked off her boots and socks first. Her jeans weren't too bad; just a few spots of blood here and there. Her shirt was completely ruined. It was bloodied beyond washing machine repair, and there was a large tear where the knife had penetrated. Danni saw flashes of memory: the glint of a knife, a searing, burning pain; the flash of scarlet blood, and Dean's voice calling out to her as she slipped into darkness. _"Danni, Danni stay with me."_

Danni shivered, remembering Bane's evil smile right before she whipped the dagger that had ended her life. There was barely a mark there now, though. Just another scar to add to the dozens she already had. As Danni turned to toss her shirt in the trash, she caught a glimpse of the anti-possession tattoo on her back, right below her left shoulder. It was the same one Sam and Dean had. Dean had insisted, after she had gotten possessed by Bane in Oregon, that she get a tattoo like theirs. And he wouldn't take no for an answer. So the second they had been released from the hospital, he had taken her to a tattoo parlor.

Danni secretly liked it. The tattoo made her feel like she had a piece of the Winchester boys with her at all times. Danni smiled, took off her jeans and underwear, then climbed in the shower. She turned the water up to nearly scorching, but it felt good to wash all traces of blood and death from her body. She showered until it felt like she had scrubbed clean through two layers of skin, and then climbed out. Danni pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a plain black V-neck t-shirt. She pulled a comb through her damp hair, and then brushed her teeth three times just to be sure. Her stomach growled again and Danni made her way downstairs just as the doorbell rang, and she caught a whiff of pizza drifting through the air.

"I thought you said you were going to _make _us something to eat?" Danni teased as Dean shut the door, holding two pizza boxes in one hand.

He shrugged. "This was easier."

Dean set the pizzas down on the table and took a seat, not even bothering to grab a plate before digging in. Danni padded over to the fridge, and grabbed one of the six-packs. She and Dean barely said a word as they ate. Danni didn't realize how hungry she'd been, until there was only half a pizza left between the two of them.

Dean tossed his napkin into the empty pizza box. "Yeah, if I eat another bite, I'll explode." He said around a mouthful of supreme pizza.

Danni just nodded her agreement. She looked over at Bobby's desk, expecting to see the older hunter staring at some thick book, but he wasn't there. She also noticed that she hadn't seen Sam either.

"Do you know where Sam and Bobby are?" Danni asked Dean.

"Bobby left a note saying he went on a supply run. He should be back soon. Said Sam was in Detroit visiting Gwen." Dean replied, taking a long drink from his third beer.

"Do you know where my mom is at all?" Danni asked. She wasn't sure where it had come from, but her mom was powerless because of her. She felt guilty for having everybody make these sacrifices for her. Dean sacrificed his soul. Kallista sacrificed her Grace. It was just too much.

"No, sorry. I'm sure Cas and Gabriel are keeping an eye out for her though. She'll be fine." Dean replied.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I just-" Danni broke off as the back door opened, and she caught a glimpse of Bobby's worn ball cap from behind several grocery bags.

Bobby came in and set the bags down in the kitchen. When he noticed her and Dean at the table, sitting there like nothing had happened the past few days, his jaw dropped slightly. Dean gave a little wave of his hand and offered Bobby a small smile.

"Hey, Bobby," Danni said, smiling.

"Well, it's good to see you two up and around. Ya know, I could use some help putting this stuff away." Bobby grumbled, and turned to grab one of the grocery bags, but not before Danni caught a hint of the smile on his face.

She looked over at Dean, who smiled at her. "Back to normal already," he said. Danni smiled, then helped him clear away their trash, and then help Bobby put away the supplies he had gotten.

"So, Dean," Bobby started once they were done. "How you feeling? Last we saw, you started having some kind of seizure and then you passed out for two, almost three, days."

"I feel fine now. Except, Bane did leave her mark." Dean said.

"Do I even wanna know what you mean by that?" Bobby grumbled.

Instead of answering, Dena started pulling up his shirt. Danni tried not to stare at his chest. Instead, she tried to focus on what Dean was showing them: a demonic mark right over his heart. Dean let his shirt drop back down, and Danni felt a pang of disappointment. She tried to shoo the feelings away, but it was hard with the image of Dean's chest permanently burned into her mind.

"Do you know what it is?" she asked Dean, who just shook his head.

"Nope. I'm guessing that whatever spell Bane cast on me, it left this. Bobby, do you have any idea what it could be?" Dean said.

"No, but I'll look to see if I can find it." Bobby mumbled absently as he finished a hastily drawn sketch of the mark on Dean's chest.

"Should we call down Cas, see if he knows anything?" Danni asked.

"I already tired, while you were showering." Dean said. "He didn't know what it is, but he's asking around, too. He'll show if he finds anything."

"I'm gonna go call Sam, and give him an update." Dean said, turning away.

"Dean, wait." Bobby called out. "There's no need. I gave him a call 'bout five minutes before I got back. I think I found a case over in Montana."

"A case?"

"Yeah, a case. You know? A monster hunt? You three need a break from Bane and all her hell buddies. Here," Bobby replied, sliding a manila folder over towards Dean. "Sam's going to meet you two in Missoula, Montana tomorrow. I suggest you get packed."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"My best guess? We're dealing with werewolves." Sam said, looking down at the case file had put together.

Dean nodded in agreement. During the brief time he had let Danni take the wheel of the Impala for a while, he had read the case file and came to pretty much the same conclusion. There had been three couples to go camping in the same area of the Bitterroot Range near Missoula over the past week. Two of the young men had been found dead after a few days, among all the bite and claw marks, their hearts had been ripped out. The other guy had barely made it out alive. Their three girlfriends were missing. The locals were saying wolf attacks.

Dean read over the latest headline. _'Camping Trip Ends in Tragedy'. The latest of a series violent wolf attacks has left another local girl, Bethany Harris, missing from her campsite in the Bitterroot Range. Her boyfriend, Wyatt Taylor, unlike the last two men to be attacked, survived. _Dean skimmed the rest of the story, but didn't find much other useful information.

"Alright, I'm going to go talk to the coroner who did the autopsies on the last two vics," Dean said, looking up at Danni and Sam surrounding the little table in one of their motel rooms. "You two go talk to the survivor, Wyatt Taylor, see if he saw anything.

An hour later, Dean walked up the front steps of the hospital where the autopsies of the other two victims took place. He flashed his fake Ranger badge to the nurse at the front desk, and she showed him down to the morgue.

"Dr. Kennedy will be with you shortly." The nurse said sweetly, then headed out the door.

Dean waited patiently for about thirty seconds before he got antsy and started pacing. He wasn't particularly fond of morgues. It wasn't even the dead people that bothered him. It was the cold. Morgue's were always freezing. And they were lonely. They were cold and alone. It was a feeling Dean had experienced too many times for his liking, and every time he stepped foot in a morgue, the feeling crept back, suffocating him.

"Ranger Ford?" a voice spoke form behind Dean, jolting him out of his thoughts.

Dean put on his poker-face before turning around to face the doctor. She was a woman, blonde, probably in her mid-forties, with tired eyes.

Dean gave a little smile. "That's me."

"I'm assuming you're here about those campers?" Dr. Kennedy said, putting latex gloves on as she walked over to two drawers that were side-by-side. She pulled them out and drew the sheets down on both victims. Both were men, probably in their mid-twenties or early-thirties. One had blonde hair, the other brown. Dean looked away from their faces and tried to pinpoint all the wounds on their bodies instead. If he spent too long memorizing the faces of the victims', they would only show up in his nightmares as reminders of the ones he didn't save.

"Yes. What can you tell me about the wounds?" Dean asked.

"Well, as far as I can tell, they look like dog bites. There _are _wolves up in that area…" the doctor trialed off, sounding unsure.

"But?" Dean prompted.

"Wolves don't generally attack people unless its self-defense or they're starving. And these were brutal attacks. Part of me just doesn't believe that wolves did this. Bears maybe, but these are clearly dog bites."

"And what about the missing hearts? Do wolves usually take the hearts and leave the rest?" Dean asked. He already was pretty sure that they were dealing with werewolves, but it never hurt to ask a few questions just to be sure. And that way, his coming in there to question her seemed less suspicious.

"No. I've never seen anything quite like that. My best guess is that you've got a lone wolf out there, probably separated from its pack and starving. That's all I've got for you, Ranger." Dr. Kennedy said apologetically.

"That's alright. Thank you for your time." Dean said with a smile, and left the morgue, trying not to look too relieved to be free of that place.

Back at the motel, Sam and Danni had succeeded a little more than Dean had. They had talked to the vic, Wyatt Taylor, and his account was that a big man, about six feet, came into their campsite, saying he was lost and needed help.

"One minute, they had been showing the guy the way to the road, and the next minute, the guy attacked him and ran off with his girlfriend." Sam recounted for Dean.

"So what? We're dealing with a werewolf that actually knows what it's doing? That's just…awesome. Monsters getting smart." Dean muttered.

Danni nodded. "Well, I'd prefer that over a werewolf that doesn't even know it's Turning. This guy deserves to be hunted down if he knows that he's killing people."

"I guess you're right about that." Dean agreed, as he loaded silver bullets into his Colt M1911. "and there's a full moon tonight, too. Let's go see if we can go find our bad dog."

**There's chapter 24 for ya! Hope you liked it. Please remember to review! I'll try to update soon! Thanks for reading!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am so, so, so, so, SO sorry that I have not updated in over a month. My schedule with work and school has been unbelievably hectic. I just have not had time to write lately. But it's now winter break and I don't have to go back to work for another month, so I am going to try to update as much as I can during this week I have off and during the next month where I don't have to work. Again, I am really, Really, REALLY sorry!**

**Thank you all for your continued support! And thanks for sticking with me even through the rough patches and lapses in my writing.**

**I don't own Supernatural.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 25: Wolf Hunt

_-:-_

_All I have to say is you don't deserve me_

_You don't deserve me_

_I'm finally walking away, cause you only hurt me_

_And you're not worthy_

_And I won't let you pull me in_

_Because I know you're gonna win_

_But the war is over_

_-The War Is Over; Kelly Clarkson_

_-:-_

Dean, Sam, and Danni had been driving for twenty minutes, no one talking, just listening to one of Dean's classic rock cassettes. They were about thirty minutes out from the back road that led up to campsites where the werewolf was making prey of innocent campers. Finally, Danni just couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Have you guys ever seen anything like this? Monsters thinking like humans?" Danni asked, leaning forward in her seat in the back of the Impala. She saw Dean's eyes in the rearview flick back at her briefly.

"There's lore about the first-borns of the alpha being more adapted, more intelligent, than the later generations of that breed of monster." Sam replied, flipping through the case file they had put together.

"Alphas? I thought there was no such thing?" Danni queried. She'd heard of alphas, heard the stories, but never believed them to actually be true.

"That's what we thought until a couple years ago. We spent almost a whole year tracking down alphas." Sam said, eyes still on the papers in his lap as he spoke.

"Why?"

"Long story," Dean said before his brother could even open his mouth.

Danni knew from her own experiences that 'long story' meant 'I don't wanna talk about it', so she decided to let it drop.

Danni cleared her throat. "So, do we have a plan for tracking down the werewolf?"

"Working on it," Dean replied gruffly.

"Well I have a plan, if you're interested in hearing it." Danni replied.

She saw Dean smile wryly. "Alright, shoot,"

"All the victims were about twenty-five to thirty years old, right?" the boys nodded and she continued. "Well, Sam and I fit the profile. We can go and pose as a couple out camping. If we make enough noise, and plant ourselves right in the middle of its hunting grounds, I bet that it would come for us."

"And what if the wolf decides to take you, just like it did with those other girls? How are we supposed to find you? I mean, I don't think it would allow you to have your one phone call." Dean said, and Danni thought she detected a note of worry in his voice. She tried meeting his eyes in the rearview mirror, but Dean just stared straight ahead.

"Well, that was kind of the point." Danni replied. "If we just kill it outright, we might not find those girls. I've got a couple of small GPS trackers. I'll put one in my boot, and Dean, you can monitor where I am from Sam's laptop. Once it takes me, you two will be able to find me, the girls, and the wolf that's causing all this."

Dean still looked skeptic, but Danni saw that Sam was working through the plan, deciding whether it had a chance of working or not.

After a moment, Sam spoke. "Okay, I'm in."

"What? No," Dean said, his green eyes flashing back and forth between the two of them, before turning them back to the road.

"Why not?" Danni protested, a little louder, and a little more rude than she had intended.

"Because it's a stupid plan and I'm not letting the two of you go in there alone to be made into puppy chow." Dean snapped back, raising his voice just the slightest.

"Dean, when are our plans ever smart? We've carried out plans a hell of a lot stupider than this, and they always work out in the end." Sam said, and Danni felt a twinge of gratefulness at Sam's defense for her. Dean had said nothing in response to Sam's statement, probably because he knew it was true. But Dean, being Dean, continued to argue.

"Okay, but I'm still not letting you go out there without me. And who's to say that it hasn't just been dragging those girls away to kill them?" Dean demanded.

"If you come with, it won't come for us. And they haven't found any of the girls bodies'. My guess is that it's keeping them somewhere, maybe waiting to turn them. And if it attacks, it's not like I won't be unarmed. I can take care of myself until you get there." Danni argued back.

Dean didn't say anything, just glowered out the front windshield, his jaw clenched. Sam, too, fell silent, so Danni followed suit. She leaned back, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared out the window at the gradually darkening sky.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After arriving at the campsite, Sam and Danni had finally managed to get Dean to stay in the car and wait till Sam came back. Sam had led Danni to the area where they would wait till about midnight, the time when most of the attacks had happened. They had sat down in a small clearing and built up a fire right before the pitch-blackness of the night fell in. Danni had said barely a word since the argument in the car. She had spent the past hour poking at the fire with a stick.

"He means well. Dean, I mean." Sam said, interrupting the silence between them.

Danni let out a huge breath. "I know. He just frustrates me so much sometimes. I can take care of myself. I have for a long time. He's not my brother, or my dad, he can't just boss me around."

Sam smiled, knowing how she felt. "I don't think he's trying to boss you around. It's just his inner desire to protect everyone he cares about shining through. I think it comes with being a big brother."

Danni looked at him and smiled, the firelight reflecting in her blue eyes, making them glow. Sam could tell what Dean saw in her. Danni was beautiful. Strong, too, intelligent, and independent. In a way, Danni reminded Sam of his mother, Mary. They had the same goodness in their heart, that same fire that sparked every other emotion.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I had a big brother at one time, too. He's dead. I'm sure you knew that, though, because I'm sure Dean told you all about me." Danni smiled knowingly.

"He only tells me the big stuff." Sam replied. "Let's see, he told me about your dad and your brother. He told me that you went to college. He told me about your ex, Michael. That's pretty much it." Sam shrugged, like it was no big deal.

Danni gave a little laugh. "Oh, really? That's all?"

"You calling me a liar?" Sam replied back, a huge grin stretching across his face.

"Maybe," Danni laughed, her features playful, teasing. "Hey, I forgot to ask, how'd it go with Gwen? Bobby left a note saying you'd gone to visit her."

Sam's grin only got bigger at the mention of Gwen. They had spent just a couple days together, but it was all Sam needed to take his mind off of things. "We had a great time. I really like her."

"Do you love her?" Danni asked.

Sam turned, sure that Danni was just teasing him again, but when he looked at her, her face was completely calm, open, and honest.

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Did he love Gwen? Love was such a foreign concept to him nowadays. Sam shook his head and smiled down at his feet. "I don't know. Not yet anyway. Maybe. I guess we'll see." Sam whispered, turning back to Danni.

"I hope it works out for the two of you." Danni said quietly, smiling.

"Thank you." Sam said, then paused. "You know, you and Dean-"

"No," Danni cut him off, her voice quavering slightly. "Don't bring Dean into this."

Sam stopped. Danni was looking down into the fire. There was something in her face, her eyes, in the words she spoke. And Sam knew.

"You're leaving." Sam whispered. It wasn't a question. He knew that she was going to leave. He didn't know when, but he knew, as he looked at her face now, that it was true. It was only a matter of time.

Danni looked at him, her mouth agape, as if she had heard him wrong but knew exactly what he had said.

"Sam, I-" she broke off. "I just don't think it's a good idea I stay. You'll be better off without me. Dean will be better off without me. Especially because-"

"Because you won't give him a chance. You won't even try to have a relationship with him. Even though you feel exactly the same way he does."

Danni didn't respond. She turned her head away from him. Sam knew his words had stung, but he also knew that it was the truth. Sam had figured out that Danni liked Dean, just as much as Dean liked her. But Sam guessed that there was something, maybe more than one thing, holding her back, keeping her from sharing her true feelings with his brother.

"So, are you afraid he's gonna break your heart or something?" Sam asked more gently.

Danni let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, something like that." she paused, then turned her eyes on him. "He's gonna die, Sam. That's why I can't. I don't want to start something that I can't finish."

Sam froze. He hadn't forgotten that his brother was marked, branded by Bane, meant to be killed, but hearing Danni say it…

Sam was about to speak, when Danni whipped her head up and stared directly in front of them.

"Did you hear that?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Sam strained his hears, but couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary. Sam looked at Danni. It's time, he thought. Danni nodded at him, confirming the thought he had.

"I'll be right back." Sam said, then smiled at Danni. She smiled back, then Sam turned and headed back through the woods towards the car. He had to force himself not to go back and see if the wolf had taken her. It's all part of the plan. Don't go back, he reminded himself.

After what seemed like hours, Sam broke through the line of trees and headed towards the Impala. Dean, being the most impatient person ever, was standing next to the car, staring at the laptop, which was resting on the roof of the car. Sam headed over to his brother and looked at the computer screen. The program was pretty simple. All Sam had to do was put in their location and the number on Danni's GPS tracker, and a map popped up with a red dot to show where Danni was.

"The stupid little dot hasn't moved an inch," Dean growled in frustration. "what if the werewolf wasn't even tracking you two?"

"Uh, Dean-" Sam started to say, but his brother wasn't even listening.

"I told you this was a stupid plan, but no, you two had to go off in the woods anyway. And now, another innocent couple might get killed because-"

"Dean!" Sam shouted at Dean.

"What?"

"Look, the dot is moving." Sam pointed at the screen, where the red dot was flashing across the screen at an in-human speed.

Dean pulled grabbed his gun off the roof of the car, and double-checked the clip. "Alright, let's go."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

When Danni woke, she was in a cabin. There was a fire going in the hearth to her left, casting a dim orange-yellow light over everything. Danni guessed the cabin hadn't been used in a while considering the amount of dust that caked the floor and the few pieces of tattered, musty furniture. Danni was against one wall, about an arm's length from the fireplace. When she moved, she discovered that her hands were bound behind her back with what felt like duct-tape, but she wasn't bound to anything which gave her an advantage.

Danni looked around the room. She appeared to be alone, until she spotted three hunched figures against the wall opposite from her. As her eyes adjusted further to the flickering light, she saw that they were women, all around her age, and she guessed that they were the other three girls that had gone missing. Danni was about to call out to them, when she heard the door to her right creak open. Thinking quickly, Danni shut her eyes, faking unconsciousness, but not before she caught a glimpse of three large figures lumbering into the small quarters.

"Did you catch up with the man?" Danni heard one say gruffly.

"The one with long hair? No, he went off, I didn't bother tracking him down. He didn't see anything. But I got the girl. She's over there." Danni heard another man say in reply, and she assumed the man they were talking about was Sam, which meant she was the girl.

The men in the cabin had to be the werewolf…or rather _werewolves. _She'd never heard of werewolves traveling in packs. They were supposed to be lone creatures. She didn't like the odds if it was her, Dean, and Sam against the three werewolves. And with the werewolves' supernatural strength and speed, the odds were more in the beasts' favor.

"Grab her, put her with the others," the third voice said.

Danni heard heavy footsteps come towards her. Then, warm arms picked her up and plopped her down ungraciously on the other side of the room. Danni couldn't help but open her eyes. the werewolf that had picked her up saw, and crouched down in front of her.

"Hey guys, look, she's awake. Hey there sleepy-head," the werewolf grinned maliciously. He was wearing a plaid shirt open over his bare chest. He had on tattered jeans and lanky brown hair. He reached a hand out to touch her, but Danni moved out of reach.

"Oh, she's a feisty one. It's okay sweetheart, we won't hurt you. Well, not much anyway." Plaid Shirt grinned, laughed, and then went over to the other girls by Danni.

The girls whimpered when Plaid Shirt neared them. He stroked their hair one by one, murmuring softly to them whenever they made a noise. The other two werewolves watched, their eyes glittering with excitement. The tallest one wore a camouflage jacket, and the other wore a hoodie.

"Felix, let's go. We've gotta go. Rupert wants to meet us for one last catch before we Turn 'em." Hoodie said to Plaid Shirt, who must've been Felix.

"Yeah, alright." Felix said. As Felix walked by Danni, he grinned and winked at her before following his buddies out the door, which promptly slammed shut and locked behind the wolves.

The second they were gone, Danni started working on the tape that bound her hands. As she worked, she turned to the three girls next to her. "Are you three alright?" she asked gently.

The girls looked a little surprised that she had asked that, but they all nodded. From their pictures in the papers, Danni recognized the black haired one as Marissa, the brunette as Bethany, and the blonde as Kylie. Danni introduced herself, and the girls told her their names, just confirming what Danni already knew.

"Are you a cop?" Kylie asked timidly.

Danni smiled. "No. But I came here to help. I have friends out there right now heading towards us. They're gonna help get you out of here."

"What about our boyfriends? Have you heard anything? Do you know if they're alright?" Marissa asked all three questions very quickly, a concerned look in her eyes.

And there it was. The part in every case where Danni had deliver the news that a loved one was dead.

"Marissa, Kylie…I'm sorry. You're boyfriends…they didn't make it." Danni replied quietly. The two girls looked on the verge of tears, but they didn't cry. They were stronger than Danni had originally thought.

"What about my boyfriend? Have you heard anything about Wyatt?" Bethany asked.

"He's alive. He's was hurt, but he's alive. He's just worried about you." Danni told Bethany, who looked like a huge weight had just been lifted off of her shoulders.

"What are they? What do they want with us?" Kylie whispered, her head bowed.

This was the other hard part: having to ruin people's perceptions of reality and having to tell them that their lives' had been affected by a monster, something that shouldn't exist.

Danni took a deep breath before starting, still working on the tape around her wrists. "Well, the truth is, they're werewolves. I think they're planning on Turning us all." Danni said, not thinking of a better way to say it.

The three girls automatically turned wide eyes on her. Kylie started shaking her head, Marissa started laughing, and Bethany sat silent, looking down at her feet.

"Oh my God, you're serious." Kylie gasped. Her and Marissa scooted closer together, like they needed the support. But Danni barely noticed them, as she was watching Bethany.

"Bethany, what is it?" Danni whispered.

Bethany let out a sob, and looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. "I…I saw them, when they attacked us. They had sharp teeth and claws a-and I watched them hurt Wyatt. I didn't think anything of it really, but the way they tore into him…it-it wasn't human."

Danni moved to sit by Bethany, who leaned her head against Danni's shoulder.

"I'm going to get you three out of here. I promise. Bethany, you're going to see Wyatt again." Danni said comfortingly.

As she spoke, she managed to free her hands from the duct-tape. Danni started working quickly on the girls' hands, removing the tape that bound them. As Danni moved to remove the last of the tape off of Kylie's wrists, she heard the sound of the door being unlocked. Danni moved in front of the girls, quietly moving her hands to the back of her jeans, where she had carved a sheath for a small knife in the leather of her belt. Danni motioned for Kylie, Marissa, and Bethany to be quiet as the door creaked open and two figures slipped inside. Danni relaxed immediately when she recognized the familiar outlines of Sam and Dean. She stepped out of the shadows and Dean walked over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked urgently.

"I'm fine," Danni replied. "We've gotta get them out of here."

Sam was already helping Bethany to her feet and Marisa was helping Kylie. Danni moved to help them, but Dean gently grabbed her arm.

"You're sure you're okay?" he asked softly.

"I'm okay. Promise. Now, where's my gun?" Danni asked.

Dean chuckled softly, but pulled out her gun, loaded with silver bullets, from inside of his jacket.

"Where's the werewolf?" Dean asked, as they helped the girls to their feet.

"Funny you should ask, because there are actually four of them." Danni said.

"What? Four? I thought werewolves didn't travel in packs," Sam said, confusion lining his brow.

"Well, guess these wolves decided to think outside the box," Dean muttered.

"We have to get them back to the car before we do anything else." Danni told the boys.

"Alright, Danni, take 'em back to the Impala." Dean said simply.

"Me, why?" she protested.

"Because, you've already been wolf bait once tonight. I'm not gonna let you get hurt." Dean replied.

"What? No. You're not gonna make me sit on the sidelines for this one. Besides, they've already got my scent. It'd make it easier for them to find us if I go with them." Danni argued.

"Danni-" Dean started to yell, but Sam cut him off.

"Danni's right. I'll take them back to the car. My scent will throw them off the trail a little bit if they give chase. They'll be safe with me." Sam said, always making a compromise.

Danni shot Sam a grateful and he gave her a small smile in return. Dean, knowing he was outnumbered in the argument, sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Go, Sam. Make sure they're safe. Shoot anything that comes your way." Dean said. Sam nodded, then led the three victims out the door of the cabin.

"Alright, got any more brilliant ideas now that you decided to stick back?" Dean asked, searching the room.

"We should lure them here. We're no match against them in the woods. That's where they hunt best. We've gotta get them away from Sam." Danni replied, cocking her gun.

She aimed at the door, and let loose three rounds into the wood, causing the door to come off one of its hinges and making Dean jump.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded loudly.

"Like I said, we have to lure the werewolves here. That ought to get them to haul their asses back here." Danni said, shrugging.

"You're gonna be the death of me," Dean muttered. He went to go stand out of eyesight from the doorway, and together they waited for the wolves to come out of the night.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Dean sat in the corner of the cabin, watching Danni as she waited in the center of the room as a lure for the werewolves. Dean knew he probably shouldn't have been so overly-protective of her. She was strong, and she could take care of herself, he knew that. Dean just didn't want to see her get hurt. Not after what happened with Bane. Danni had died, under his watch, and he couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

Dean's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the rustling of several figures outside the door. He felt his whole body tense and alarm, his senses on overdrive. He could tell Danni was ready too. Suddenly, three figures burst into the cabin. Dean saw movement outside the door, and figured the fourth werewolf was outside, waiting for Danni to try and escape. They were all men, big, each of them twice Danni's size. But she didn't seem bothered by them.

"Hey, guys," Danni said cheerfully. Of course, that just pissed the wolves off. The three of them simultaneously raised their hands in defensive mode, their elongated claws coming out. Dean raised his cocked gun, ready to shoot on a moment's notice. The three werewolves inside the cabin still hadn't seen Dean, situated in the shadowy corner behind them, right next to the door.

"Got out of your tape, did you? Told you she was a feisty one." One of the werewolves said.

"Felix, right? Yeah. You know, I think you're the one who hit me upside the head. That wasn't very nice." Danni simpered, sticking her bottom out in a slight pout.

"Alright, bitch, that's it-" the wolf, Felix snarled, his canines sharpening, growing in length.

"Ah, ah. One more step and I put a round of silver into your chest." Danni said, pulling her gun out from behind her back.

At first Felix stopped in his tracks, but then he laughed, the other werewolves joining in with him.

"You really think you can take on all of us by yourself?" Felix chuckled.

"Who said I was alone?" Danni asked, smiling.

That was his cue.

Taking aim, Dean fired through the crack in the open door, right into the heart of the wolf pacing outside. The other three spun around, finally taking notice of Dean, and lunged out. Dean saw two of the wolves come at him, teeth bared and claws out. He barely had time to notice Felix go for Danni.

Dean fired four rounds into one of the werewolf's, killing him instantly with the silver bullets to the heart. Dean didn't have time to fire at the one wearing the hoodie before it knocked the gun out of his hand and rammed Dean against the wall. As Hoodie's claws dug into Dean's shoulder, he dug into his jacket and pulled out his silver knife, swiping at Hoodie. The werewolf howled in pain as the silver came in contact with its skin. Dean swiped again, making a nice-sized gash across the creature's chest. Hoodie turned his animalistic eyes on Dean and lunged for his throat. As the werewolf landed on him, Dean fell backwards, and the wolf landed right on the knife in his hand. Dean shoved the half-dead werewolf off of him, his shirt covered in blood.

Dean picked up his gun and fired two rounds into the werewolf's heart. Dean spun around just in time to see Danni stab a silver knife into the chest of the werewolf, Felix. Blood coated the werewolf's lips. Danni looked absolutely murderous as she picked her gun up off the floor and fire into the wolf's heart. When she looked up, Dean noticed she had claw marks on her neck and arm. Her chest moved up and down with exertion. She looked at Dean, her mouth open slightly. She nodded at Dean, then bent down to heave Felix's corpse across the cabin floor and outside. Dean followed her, dragging the other two outside, where they torched the bodies and scattered the ashes.

They stumbled back through the woods until they found Sam by the Impala, the three girls safe and sound. Because the three girls were in the back seat, Danni had to sit up front in between Sam and him. Dean could barely focus on the road ahead of them as they drove away from the campsite because the whole time, Danni's hand brushed against his leg, her shoulder against his. By the time they pulled into their motel, after dropping off the three girls at the hospital, Danni was asleep.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Alright, boys, we are celebrating." Danni said, smiling, handing Sam and Dean a beer.

It was about 8:00 the next morning. After Dean helped her clean up her wounds the night before, Danni had pretty much crashed. The werewolf, Felix, had swung her around pretty good, and she had needed the rest. The three of them were sitting in the boy's shared motel room, eating toast and leftovers form the night before.

"What's the occasion?" Sam asked, laughing.

"Well, we took on four werewolves last night. Thought we should celebrate since we didn't last night." Danni replied.

"I'll drink to that," Dean said with a smile on his face, as he turned his green eyes on her.

They clinked their beer bottles together and continued to eat their odd breakfast. Danni saw that Dean's bruises were more pronounced than the night before, and she flashed back to her and Sam's conversation from last night. She tried to not let that spoil her mood as they started laughing about the night's events, among other things. Sam had just finished sharing an embarrassing story about Dean as a kid when there was a knock on the door.

"I got it," Danni said, still giggling.

Danni's smile faltered the second she opened the door and saw who was standing behind it. She recognized the close-cropped black hair, the deep brown eyes, the pale lips, that, at one time, she couldn't get enough of. The way he stood was the same—with one hand tucked in his back pocket, the other arm swinging lazily at his side. Even his clothes were relatively the same. Dark jeans, work boots, and a tan aviator's jacket over a t-shirt covered his lithe, yet muscular frame.

"Hey, Danni." He said quietly. Her _ex _said quietly.

Danni's heart thumped unevenly against her chest; though whether it was from fear or nerves or something else entirely, she didn't know. She swallowed hard, yet there was still a lump in her throat.

"Michael,"

**Uh oh! Wonder how Dean will react to Danni's ex… **

**So I hoped you liked the chapter. Once again, I apologize for the late update. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!**

**Please Review!**

**Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas to everybody!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry that I didn't update as soon as I had planned, but thank you all for hanging in there! Now that Michael's back, we'll get to see a little love-triangle action between Danni, Dean, and Michael.**

**Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 26: Strained Hearts

_-:-_

_Well maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame_

_Or maybe it's you and your sick need to give love then take it away_

_And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors who don't understand_

_And I'll look back and regret how I ignored when they said_

_Run as fast as you can_

_-Dear John; Taylor Swift_

_-:-_

Michael. Her ex. The ex she never thought she'd see again. Danni tried to say something more—a simple 'hello' maybe—but nothing came out after she managed to choke out his name.

"Can I come in?" Michael asked politely, his dark eyebrows scrunching together, and his mouth quirking up in the corner

"Um…" Danni glanced behind her into the motel room. She could just see Sam and Dean sitting on the beds, laughing, drinking their beers, completely unaware that Danni's world was crashing all around her.

"Michael…could you-could you just wait here a minute. I'll be right back. Ju-just stay…here." Danni stumbled over her words.

"Sure, I-" Michael started to respond, but Danni shut the door before she could hear the rest.

Danni leaned against the back of the door, trying to steady her breathing. Michael was back. How the hell had he found her? And why would he want to see her? They had broken up nine years ago, when she was just 21, just a kid. Danni walked into the bathroom of Dean and Sam's shared motel room. She splashed cold water on her face, trying to cool down her heated skin. It didn't help much. The heat seemed to flow through her veins and fill her entire body. There was a soft knock on the door, and Danni jerked away from the sink and turned around to see Dean poking his head through the crack in the door.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked.

"I...um...I-I'll be fine. I'm fine." Danni stammered, gripping the sink for support.

"Oh, yeah. You look real fine." Dean muttered sarcastically. "Who was at the door?"

Dean came into the bathroom and Danni tried not to notice how close they were in the tiny space. Dean came over and put a hand on her shoulder. Immediately, Danni felt better, steadier. Dean was her support, as strong and steady as a rock.

"You gotta talk to me, Danni. I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Dean said.

"Michael's back," Danni whispered, so low that she was afraid she'd have to repeat it just so Dean could hear.

"Michael?" Dean asked, confusion flitted momentarily over his face before his features changed into that of recognition. "The Michael who you dumped after breaking his nose and stealing his car because he cheated on you with a cheerleader? That Michael?"

Danni couldn't do more than nod at Dean's question. She looked at Dean, and could see him processing. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but it couldn't be anything good. After telling Dean about Michael the first time, Dean had pretty much looked like he wanted to murder the guy. It was the same look Dean had on his face now.

"Dean, before you go do anything stupid, just let me talk to him, okay? Please?" Danni said. Not that she really wanted to defend Michael, but she didn't really want Dean pounding him to a pulp until she figured out why he was here.

Dean studied her face. He seemed to calm down somewhat. "Do you need me to do anything?" he asked softly, never taking his green eyes off her face.

"Just give Sam a head's up," she replied.

Dean nodded, then stood to the side so she could get out of the bathroom. Danni took a deep breath as she approached the door to the motel room. _You take on vampires and werewolves and demons for a living. You can talk to your ex-boyfriend. No biggie. You can do it, _Danni said to herself, but it didn't sound very convincing.

Danni opened the door to their motel room, and stepped outside under the awning, leaving the door open a crack just in case she needed to call out for Dean or Sam. Michael was where she had left him, the early morning sunlight catching the different shades of gold and copper in his brown eyes. Danni shook her head, trying to clear any old feelings that were trying to crawl to the surface of her mind. Upon hearing the door open, Michael turned with a small smile on his face. Danni noticed that he looked older, more mature.

"Hey. You okay?" Michael asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Yeah. I'm good now." Danni replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Michael didn't say anything, but his eyes did a quick sweep over her body, and landed back on her face. He broke out into a grin and started shaking his head.

"What?" Danni demanded, probably sounding ruder than she had intended.

"You haven't changed a bit," Michael replied softly.

They stared at each other for a moment, before Danni finally chickened out and cast her eyes at the sidewalk.

Feeling like an idiot for being so nervous around him, Danni looked back up, composing her features. "We're not together anymore, Michael. There's a line. Don't cross it."

Michael looked slightly taken aback, but he nodded respectfully. "Understood,"

There was another moment of silence as they looked at each other. Finally, Danni couldn't take not knowing anymore.

"What are you doing here, Michael?" she asked.

"Honestly? I'm here to see you." He replied, looking almost sheepish.

"_Why?_" Danni asked, incredulous.

"To see how you're doing, what you've been up to, and all that." Michael replied.

"You could've called," Danni suggested.

"Right. I didn't think of that." Michael muttered sarcastically. "Every time I called, I'd get a machine saying the number was disconnected. Guess I forgot how often you change phones."

Danni knew he was right. After she graduated from college, she went on the road again, which meant she changed her phone again. That's how it was, being a hunter. And even though she told Michael about herself, what she did, she always had the impression that he never _truly _believed her. He never understood, and he never would.

"Okay. No phones. But why now? Nine years. That's how long it's been since I last saw you. So why show up now?" Danni asked.

"Well I wasn't really planning on it. An old buddy of mine, he moved here with his girlfriend a couple years back. When he saw you roll into town, he gave me a call. So I came. I wanted to see if it was true, that you were here. And in my car, no less." He finished with a smile.

Danni glanced over her shoulder at the Mustang sitting in the lot. She'd almost forgotten she had driven here. She had gotten so used to Dean insisting she ride in the Impala with them, that she forgot the Mustang was around.

"So…can I come in? Or are you gonna make me stand out here all night?" Michael asked, his mouth quirking up into a smile.

Danni sighed. She knew couldn't keep him out here forever, but a possible confrontation between Dean and Michael scare her. Michael was at least as tall as Dean, and fairly well-muscled, but Dean was a fighter. Dean had been trained his whole life to take out the big-baddies, and Danni was pretty sure he considered Michael to be one of those things he killed on a daily basis.

"You can come in. _But-_" Danni stressed, holding up a hand to stop him from walking any further. "My friends are pretty…protective. If it seems like they don't like you, it's not a personal thing. They're just wary of strangers."

"I think I can handle your friends. How bad can they be?" Michael said, grinning cockily, something that reminded her of Dean.

"Just…behave, alright?" Danni told him firmly, warning him as she might a troublesome child.

Before she could change her mind, Danni turned, opened the door, and stepped aside to let Michael through. Sam and Dean looked up when they walked in, wariness in their eyes as expected, backs stiff, hands ready to grab a weapon if needed. She gestured for them to col it, and Sam seemed to loosen up slightly, but Dean remained as alert and guarded as ever. Danni looked up at Michael, and he looked mildly surprised, like he had been expecting a group of girls to be her friends instead of two guys. She watched as the look in Michael's brown eyes turned from surprise to mild jealousy. Danni couldn't blame him. It wasn't like the Winchester brothers were _bad _looking.

Danni cleared her throat before the awkwardness of the situation suffocated them all. "So…guys…this is my…friend, Michael Gates. Michael, this is Dean Winchester and his brother Sam."

Nobody moved.

Danni tried to shoot a look at Dean, but he and Michael were having some sort of guy stare-down, so Danni turned to Sam. Sam caught her eyes and nodded his head in understanding. Sam stood and held out a hand.

"I'm Sam. It's nice to meet you, Michael." Sam said, turning on his best innocent expression, breaking Michael and Dean out of their façade.

Michael shook Sam's hand politely, smiling, and proceeded to further introduce himself to the youngest Winchester boy. Danni took that as her best window of opportunity, and grabbed Dean by the arm and hauled him over to the tiny kitchen area.

"Dean, I know you're not too pleased about Michael being here, but please, the sooner you act nice, the sooner he'll leave." Danni whispered urgently.

"Why should I be nice? He _cheated _on you, or have you forgotten?" Dean responded quietly, an angry fire burning in his green eyes.

"Of course I haven't forgotten. That's why I want him gone. Please, Dean. I'm begging you here. Just behave, okay? Can you do that? For me?" There. She did it. she played the 'for me?' card, knowing Dean would bow down before it.

Dean stood unwavering for what seemed like forever, until his features softened, and he nodded his head.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Dean didn't respond, but instead turned and made his way back to the main area of the motel room. He put on his best, most charming smile, and held out his hand for Michael to shake.

"Hi, I'm Dean. Danni's told me so much about you; it's nice to finally put a face to the name." Dean said, but Danni could hear the fake kindness in his voice, and judging by the look on Michael's face, he could too.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Hours later, long after the sun had set and the four of them had eaten an awkward dinner, Danni went to her motel room next to the boys'. And, of course, Michael had followed her.

"They seem great. Really. Nice guys." Michael said as he shut the door to Danni's motel room, his voice oozing sarcasm. She rolled her eyes where he couldn't see, before turning around to face him.

"They're my friends. And they really _are_ great guys. They've saved my life on more than one occasion. You just don't know them like I do." Danni shot back, even surprising herself at how much she was defending the guys. Sure, Sam had been polite enough towards Michael... But then there was Dean. He couldn't have made it more obvious that he hated the fact that Michael was there, even despite Danni telling him to behave. Michael knew it too.

"Look...I'm sorry," Michael said, jolting Danni out of her thoughts. "I just don't understand why you're..._Hunting_…with them." Michael finished, tripping over the word 'hunting' like he still wasn't sure he believed her job was real.

"I told you. One, they saved my life. Two, we're trying to hunt down the thing that killed me, because she pretty much wants to destroy the world." Danni replied.

Michael stepped closer to her, put a hand on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eye. "So... You're not just staying with them because of Dean, right?"

Danni was so surprised at the question that she almost burst out laughing. "Because of_ Dean_?" she asked incredulous. "No! Of course not! There's nothing going on between us, if that's what you're really asking. Believe me, we're just friends." Danni finished quietly. Even though she had told Dean, months ago, that she just wanted to be friends because she thought it would be safer for both of them, she wanted everything _but_ to be _just_ friends.

She looked up at Michael. He was staring at her, his brown eyes twinkling with gold flecks, reminding her of one of the reasons she had fallen in love with Michael in the first place. Michael started moving closer to her, until she had no choice but to back up, which caused her to bump into the wall.

As Michael leaned ever closer to her, she started to say his name, but he cut it off with a kiss. Danni froze in surprise. When she didn't respond from his touch, he seemed to interpret that as an invitation. He kissed her again. Harder this time. He leaned against her body with his own, causing her to press flat against the wall. Danni put her hands on his chest, trying to push him off of her, but he took that as her responding and pushed harder against her, his kisses becoming hungry. His lips were soft, like she remembered, but there was something different about him too. She didn't know what it was, but something seemed…_off_ about him. Danni once again tried pushing him off of her, but he weighed more than her, solid muscle crushing her against the wall. He pushed a hand up under her shirt, touching the front if her bra.

"Michael…Michael stop! Michael, get off, you're hurting me! Michael-" Danni broke off as invisible hands yanked Michael back.

Danni gasped, pulling her shirt down. She looked up just in time to see Dean deliver a solid punch to Michael's jaw. She heard the crack of Dean's fist a couple more times before Danni finally came to her senses. She hurried over to Dean and Michael. She tried prying Dean's fingers from the front of Michael's shirt, but his grip was like steel.

"Dean, get off of him! Dean, stop!" Danni shouted.

As it turned out, Michael managed to get Dean off of him. Michael stood and threw a punch of his own, connecting with Dean's face. He punched Dean in the gut, causing Dean to double over, where it was easy for Michael to hook Dean under the jaw. Dean fell back, groaning.

"Stop it! Guys, knock it off!" Danni shouted at them.

Just as Michael was about to throw another punch at Dean, Danni got in between them and caught his fist in her hand. That seemed to jolt both Michael and Dean out of their attack modes.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Danni shouted accusingly, releasing Michael's fist. Without waiting for a reply, Danni turned and offered Dean a hand, helping him to his feet. She turned back to Michael, who was rubbing his jaw. Blood was running from his nose and from a cut above his left eyebrow.

Danni sighed, furious, wondering which one of them to deal with first. Michael was probably the lesser of two evils at the moment. Without saying anything to Michael, she took Dean by the arm and shoved him out the door he had left open.

"Danni-" Dean started to say.

"Don't. Don't talk. I'll be out to deal with you in a minute." without waiting for a reply, Danni took the door and slammed it in his face.

Danni turned on Michael.

"Danni, I-" Michael started to say, his eyebrows wrinkled together, but she cut him off.

"What the hell was that, Michael? What were you thinking?" she demanded.

"Okay, look, he threw the first punch-"

"I'm not talking about the fight. Before that._ Kissing me_. What gave you the right?" Danni said angrily. Michael's mouth gaped open and shut like a fish as he struggled to find the right words to say. Michael shut his mouth, and stepped closer to her, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away from his touch.

"Danni...look, I-I'm sorry. I really am. It's just... It's just I miss you. Hurting you-letting you go-that was the stupidest thing I've ever done. And I mean that. I've been looking for you ever since we broke up. I wanted to make amends for what I did. And, I don't know, be friends with you. We were good friends even before we got…involved. I was just hoping we could go back to that." Michael said smoothly. He looked at her from under her dark lashes. Danni didn't know what to say. Michael had pretty much left her speechless. She hadn't been expecting an apology, much less a desperate plea to make amends with her. She wanted to say that friends didn't kiss friends, but she couldn't form the words.

"Michael," Danni started, though she wasn't really sure if she had spoken aloud. "Michael... I don't think that's a good idea. I'm sorry. I should probably go check on Dean." she mumbled, then turned and fled through the door, ignoring the crestfallen look on Michael's face.

Once she got outside, Danni saw Dean immediately turn to greet her. But she was in no mood for friendly conversation. She barely noticed the bruise forming on Dean's jaw. She walked straight up to Dean, and pushed him as hard as she could. He stumbled back several feet, looking stunned, but he didn't topple over like she'd been hoping.

"Were you spying on me?" she yelled at him once he regained his footing.

"No! I was coming to talk to you and I saw you struggling. Only trying to help." Dean said, holding out his hands in a placating gesture.

"Yeah, well, well I can take care of myself, Dean. I didn't need your help." Danni snapped at him.

"Tell that to the handprints on your arm." Dean scoffed.

Sure enough, Danni looked down for a split second, and noticed a red mark on her arm where Michael had gripped her tighter than she's thought.

"When are you going to just tell him to hit the road? You want him gone just as much as I do," Dean said loudly, and Danni wondered if Michael was listening.

"Well, we're all leaving tomorrow morning, right? He's certainly not gonna follow you out of town, and I'm gonna make sure he doesn't follow me either."

"You make it sound like we're leaving town separately," Dean joked, though she could still see a little anger in his eyes.

Danni paused. Silent. What could she say? What could she say to make the fact that she was leaving, tonight, any better?

"I'm leaving, Dean." Danni whispered, knowing she had to tell him, she had to get it out somehow.

And there it was. It took a few seconds, but then his face fell and Danni's heart shattered. His face held disbelief, confusion, hurt, pain, loss, and a million other emotions that all flitted by much too fast. Dean's mouth was open slightly, waiting for words to come…but they didn't. after a moment, he closed his mouth, and composed his features.

"Well, okay. Thank you, so much for the warning." Dean said, his voice scathing, angry.

"Don't get mad at me; you knew I was going to leave at some point, Dean." She told him, trying to keep her face from catching.

"Yeah, well I didn't think it'd be now! Not when we're right in the middle of all this crap!" he yelled.

"I was going to tell you! Today, in fact. But then Michael showed up and screwed it all up."

"And Michael showing up here, the day you're planning on leaving, that's not suspicious at all," Dean said accusingly.

"What, you think I called him? I haven't talked to him in nine years, Dean. _Nine years. _Why the hell would I call him? I don't care about him, I haven't for a long time." she said firmly.

"He obviously hadn't forgotten about you, though."

"Don't make this about him. This isn't about him."

"You're right. It's about you and me. It's about you not admitting that you feel the exact same way I do!" Dean yelled, taking a step towards her.

"What?" Danni whispered, taken aback by his comment.

"You know what, Danni. I kissed you and you didn't stop me." Dean said, his eyes piercing into hers and she had the urge to touch the bruise forming on his jaw, to show that she cared, to show that she didn't want him to be mad anymore. "You ran away from me, sure, but you didn't stop me in the first place,"

"Stop-"

"Stop what? Stop telling you what you already know? Stop telling you how you feel? Because I know it's true. There's no way I'm the only one who feels this way," Dean urged, moving ever closer, trying to prove his point, but Danni knew that if they got close enough, she would never leave. And he would never be safe.

"Stop!" she shouted at him, moving back. "Stop! I can't do this, Dean! If I get close to you, if I admit that I feel anything, you'll just die! You're gonna die! You're gonna die and there's nothing I can do about it!" Danni screamed at him.

"You can help us stop Bane! You're the only one that can kill her, Danni!" Dean shouted right back.

"I can't! I'm not strong enough! And she keeps using that against me. She wants me, Dean. This is all about me, and it's because of me that you're gonna die. I can't watch you die. I can't be here when that happens because it means I'll be alone again!"

"So, what? You're just gonna give up? Is that it? You're not even gonna try? That doesn't sound like the Danni I know…but then again….maybe I don't know you." Dean's voice went deathly calm, and Danni dreaded what was to come next. "Fine, Danni. Go. Leave. I don't care. But don't expect a warm welcome from Sam when you decide to come crawling back and I'm dead. Dead because you gave up."

"Don't worry. I'm not coming back." Danni replied coldly.

And without waiting for Dean to respond, she turned her back, headed toward the Mustang—already loaded with her bags—and got in the car.

Only when she was a state away, did she look in the rearview mirror for the heartbroken face of Dean Winchester. Only when she was a state away did she let the tears fall. Let the tears fall because she had just driven away from the only family she'd had in twelve years.

**So? What'd you think? I hope you liked it!**

** I'll try to update soon, but we'll see how that goes. I don't **_**think **_**my schedule's too bad coming up this next week or too, so I'll try to update soon! Please review! **

** Thank you to everyone for all the continued support!**

** Thanks for reading!**

** -DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, so here's chapter 27 for you guys! I just want to thank you all for the support you guys give me, it really makes my day!**

**I don't own Supernatural.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 27: Lost and Found

_Said she needed to feel the sun on her face,_

_Talk it out with herself,_

_Try to get things straight._

_Lord all I know is I don't wanna breathe._

_I wish I was cold as stone,_

_Then I wouldn't feel a thing._

_I wish I didn't have this heart,_

_Then I wouldn't know the sting of the rain._

_I could stand strong and still,_

_Watching you walk away._

_I wouldn't hurt like this,_

_Or feel so all alone._

_I wish I was cold as stone._

_Cold as Stone; Lady Antebellum_

"_Don't worry. I'm not coming back."_

Dean's eyes snapped open, Danni's last words to him echoing in his head. He'd been dreaming about their last moments for weeks now and it was driving him crazy. No matter what, he couldn't get Danni out of his head. He glanced over at the calendar that hung on his wall. It was about the only thing that personalized his room at Bobby's house. Counting the days sometimes kept him sane. It was December 7th. Exactly two months after Danni got in her car and drove away from him…them. He had to remind himself that she left Sam and Bobby, Cas and her mom, not just him.

And yet, even after two months had passed, that night felt like it had been just yesterday. He remembered every angry word they'd exchanged, remembered every feeling that had passed through his body at the time, he remembered every detail on her face as she told him that she wasn't coming back. And it still hurt like hell to think about it, even now. Michael had left too, just minutes after Danni. And Dean was glad he had, otherwise Dean probably would've punched the guy again.

Dean threw the covers off his body and went over to his dresser to grab a fresh pair of clothes. After he was dressed and his breath was minty fresh, he shuffled downstairs to see what Bobby and Sam were up to. He found Bobby behind his desk, no surprise there, and turned into the kitchen, expecting to find Sam there. He wasn't.

"Where's Sam?" Dean called out as he pulled a beer out of the fridge, along with all the ingredients needed to make a mid-morning sandwich.

"Should be outside. He's loading up one of the spare cars, I think." Bobby's answer came from the other room.

Dean was about to ask why Sam was loading up a spare car, but decided he'd just go see for himself instead. He put the sandwich stuff away, grabbed his turkey-on-wheat, beer, a jacket and headed outside. Sure enough, he found Sam, loading up a junker with rusting sides, with his duffel bag of spare weapons and his backpack. The layer of snow on the ground crunched under his feet as Dean walked towards Sam.

"Where're ya going? We just got back from a hunt last night," Dean mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.

"I'm heading to Detroit to see Gwen," Sam replied, eyeing the beer in Dean's hand. "Dude, it's ten in the morning,"

"So. I'm an adult, I can drink any time of the day I want. Detroit, huh? Weren't you there, like, a week ago?" Dean asked.

"It's been a couple of months, actually. I last saw her before Danni—" Sam stopped himself. "Before that werewolf case in Montana."

Suddenly Dean's appetite disappeared as Sam mentioned Danni.

"Dean, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Sam started to say, his eyebrow crinkling together.

"Sam, it's fine. I'm okay. It's not like you can't say her name or anything, she's not Voldemort. You just go have fun with Gwen. If I catch a case, I'll call." Dean said, then turned around, not wanting to hear any more from his brother about how he wasn't fine.

Dean already knew that he wasn't fine. He just didn't feel like saying the fact out loud. Ever since Danni had left, there had been something missing, like a hole had been punctured through his heart. Danni hadn't been just a friend to him. She had always been something more to him, ever since they met. And as they continued to hunt together, Dean had felt his feelings grow. And those feelings refused to be controlled. It was strange, because this was all new territory for him. Dean had never even told a girl those three little words. How could all of that suddenly change with just one girl? How could he miss her this bad? He _knew _when they met, that she was probably gonna leave, but he didn't expect to miss her this much.

Dean ran a hand through his hair, and gulped down the rest of his beer and wiped the crumbs off his hands. He itched to take out his frustrations on someone, something. He needed to hunt. No, what he needed was to see Danni. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. He was just too damn stubborn.

Finding nothing to punch, he picked up his beer bottle and hurled it as hard as he could across the car lot, hearing it shatter into a billion little pieces, just like his heart. It didn't help though. Nothing but Danni could make him feel better. For the millioneth time since she'd left, Dean dug his phone out of his pocket, and scrolled through his contacts until he found Danni's name. His thumb hovered over the CALL button. Then, as always, he clicked CANCEL and put the phone away.

Dean turned around to walk back into the house when he nearly ran into Kallista. He stumbled back and Kallista smiled slightly.

"Hello, Dean." She said calmly.

"Hi." He paused. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to see if you have any more information on your brand and if there's a way to reverse it."

Dean shook his head. About a week after Danni left, Cas and Gabriel had come down from Heaven, saying that the mark over Dean's heart, the one Bane gave him, was a brand. So pretty much, Dean belonged to her. It allowed her to find him wherever he was. It also allowed her hellhounds to find him too. So far, they hadn't found a way to reverse the spell she put on him. Dean didn't see why Bane needed the brand, she could just kill him whenever, but Dean didn't see a reason for why Bane did _anything. _

"I'm sorry, Dean." Kallista said, breaking him from his thoughts.

"For what?" he asked, puzzled.

"You shouldn't have had to make this deal with Bane. We should've fought harder to find Danni's soul in the first place." The angel replied. She looked so much like Danni it hurt.

"Yeah, well, Bane was gonna kill me anyway. Besides, you ripped out your Grace to help Danni."

"And Bane gave me back my Grace, just as planned." Kallista said, with a bit of a cocky smile.

"Touché," Dean nodded at her.

That had also happened after Danni left. Bane had come to them, in the middle of the night no less, and demanded to see Kallista. The demon had given the angel back her Grace, as she had no further use for it. Bane even admitted to it being a smart plan. Then the demon had disappeared, and they hadn't seen her since.

"Anyway, I'll keep looking for the loop-hole in all this. You did, after all, do it to save Danni." Kallista said quietly.

"Yeah, and she still left." Dean muttered.

"Don't be too hard on her, Dean. She left to protect you." Kallista replied.

"To protect me, huh? That's why she's not gonna help us kill Bane, even though she's the only one who can, to protect me?" Dean said scathingly. He knew he should've been more polite, but at the moment he didn't care.

"Dean-" Kallista started to say, put Dean put up a hand to stop her.

"Just…don't. If you find anything, send Cas down to talk to me." And without waiting to see what the angel would do, Dean turned around and walked back towards the house. Dean just focused on breathing, in and out, watching as his warm breath fogged up the air in little clouds.

Dean stomped his feet to rid his boots of snow as he went back in the house. Bobby was still in his rightful place at his desk, reading up on some terrifying creature that liked to eat people for lunch. Dean paused inside the doorway to the den, just watching the older hunter for a moment. With Sam gone and Bobby busy, Dean had the day off. But he didn't know what to do. If Danni had been there, they would've gone out and done something for no good reason, or they would've sat just talking until it was time to eat. But she wasn't here, and Dean couldn't do any of those things with her.

Dean let out a sigh, and turned towards the door again, checking to make sure his phone and keys were in his pocket.

"Where ya goin'?" Bobby called out, not even looking up from his big book.

"Out. I'll be back soon. Call me if you catch a case." Dean replied, then left, the door clicking into its frame behind him.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Not long after leaving Bobby's, Dean pulled into town and parked the Impala in front of one of his and Sam's favorite bars in Sioux Falls. It was the middle of the day, but that meant there wouldn't be nearly as many people in the bar, which was good because Dean didn't feel like dealing with people at the moment. Dean walked in, the little bell above the door ringing loudly through the dim of the bar. There was a Bad Company song trickling through the speakers and the place smelled like alcohol and sweat. The usual bar smell. There was the clang of pool players in the upper level of the bar, and there were about six or seven people on the main floor of the bar.

Dean picked a stool right at the counter and motioned for the bartender, ordering himself a beer. Dean saw a girl at the other end of the bar, probably in her mid to late-twenties. She was pretty, normally someone Dean would make a move on, but instead he found himself comparing her to Danni. Her hair wasn't the right shade of glossy brown. Her eyes were brown, not blue. Her lips weren't the right shade of pink, nor were they full like Danni's. She was shorter than Danni, and wasn't even drinking beer like Danni would, but some fancy martini. Dean frowned, then turned his eyes away, suddenly not interested anymore.

"Her name's Kirsten Walace." A woman's voice said quietly, and Dean turned to see an old friend.

He smiled. "Hey, Sheriff Mills."

"Come on, Dean. Jodie." She smiled back as she took the stool next to him.

"So what are you doing here? You know, other than offering to hook me up?" Dean smirked.

"I'm off duty. Needed a drink. Last I checked, you come to bars to get a drink."

Dean took a swig of his beer. "That you do."

"What about you, Dean? What are you doing here?" Jodie asked kindly, the motherly side of her shining through.

"Needed a drink, like you. I'm off duty, too." He answered, mocking her slightly. "So how do you know the girl?"

"Her brother's a cop. I've worked with him a few times. I could get you her number if you like-"

"No, that's okay. I was just curious how you knew her." Dean took a swig of his drink, trying not to make eye contact with Jodie as she eyed him curiously.

"Is it Danni?" she asked softly after a moment.

Dean froze. "How do you-?"

"'Know about Danni?' Bobby does update me on what goes on from time to time. I heard that she left a few months back."

"Yeah, she did," Dean grumbled.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Jodie asked.

"No." Dean told her firmly, probably making the single word come out harsher than he intended.

"Okay," Jodie put her hands up. "Just trying to help, Dean."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry for snapping," Dean apologized.

"Call her, Dean. You never know what might happen." Jodie said, setting a bill on the counter for her drink, and then she was gone, the bell above the door signaling her absence.

Dean sat by himself one again. He glanced across the bar once again, at the girl, Kirsten. But then Danni's beautiful face flashed through his mind, and an intention to talk to the girl across the bar disappeared. _Call her, Dean. You never know what might happen. _

Without a second thought—because Dean was sure that thinking about it would somehow cause him to change his mind—Dean dug out his cell for the second time in just a few hours. His thumb was about to push the button, when his phone actually started ringing. The caller I.D. told him it was Bobby. Not exactly the person he was hoping for, but he picked up anyway.

"Bobby, what's up?"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Sam stood on Gwen's doorstep, his arms wrapped around her slim waist. Her lips gently met his. The past two days had been wonderful, as they always were with her, but Dean had called with a case, and Sam wouldn't leave his brother without any back-up. And Gwen understood that, which made Sam like her even more.

"Be safe," she whispered, a smile on her lips.

"I will," Sam replied, and then groaned as Dean honked the Impala's horn from the street. Dean had insisted that he just pick Sam up, and he could leave the car Bobby loaned him at Gwen's if he needed for anything. But his brother had the patience of a five-year-old.

"You should go," Gwen said, nodding her head in Dean's direction.

"He can wait a minute longer,"

"Is he even capable of that?" Gwen asked jokingly. But her light smile quickly disappeared. "How's he doing, anyway?"

"He's being Dean. Danni left and whatever the hell he's feeling, he just buries it deep inside and doesn't talk about it." Sam sighed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind Gwen's ear as he spoke.

"Have you tried calling her?"

"Well, Dean won't call her. And if _I _call her, he'd kill me, so no." he replied.

"Well maybe you should call her anyway. You never know what might happen." Gwen smiled at him, then stood on her toes to kiss him one last time, the car horn blaring behind them.

"I'll call you after we're done with this case. And Gwen?" Sam said when she started to go back into the house.

"Yeah?" she asked, her blue eyes wide.

"I love you." There. He said it.

Gwen jumped straight back into his arms, her hands around his neck, her lips right back on his. "I was wondering when you were gonna say it," she giggled. "I love you, too. Now go._ Before _your brother decides to storm up here."

Sam walked towards the Impala, his bags slung over his shoulder, a huge grin stretched across his face. He tossed his bags in the back seat, and slid up front with Dean.

"About time, man. Let's go," Dean complained as he started pulling away from Gwen's place.

"Just 'cause you're not happy doesn't mean I can't be," Sam joked.

"Shut up," Dean muttered, knowing he was defeated.

"So what do we got?" Sam asked Dean as they drove further out of Detroit.

Dean reached over and pulled a manila folder from the back and handed it to Sam. "Vamps. Sounds like a whole nest of 'em, too."

"Awesome. Where?" Sam asked, scanning over what they had on the victims'.

"A place called Spirit Lake, Iowa." Dean replied.

"Sounds charming. Let's just hope that it's just a name."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The next day, after renting a motel room out for a week and checking in on the victims—who had indeed been attacked by multiple vampires—Dean and Sam headed to one of the local bars, needing not only a drink, but a place to scout out some of the locals. Sam was holed up with his laptop at one of the back tables. Dean had gone to the bar, hoping to get a closer look at the pretty bartender. Sitting up at the counter, Dean gulped down one glass of whiskey, watching the bartender watch him. Finally deciding he needed to get back to his brother, Dean ordered another glass for himself, and one for his brother.

Dean grabbed their two glasses and the napkin the bartender had written her phone number on. He turned; ready to head back to their table, when he ran right into a woman. It was like something that only happened on TV or the movies, except those characters managed to play it off so much better. Dean stood stunned for a moment, absolutely in awe that _this _had happened to _him. _The woman gasped as the drinks he'd been carrying spilled all over her front, soaking her, and causing her to smell like whiskey. Some people looked up briefly at the commotion, but soon turned back to their drinks, minding their own business. Dean expected her to look up and glare at him, or stomp on his foot, or scream something about ruining her outfit, but she was too busy being shocked to do anything.

"I am so sorry," Dean started to apologize. "I didn't see you, and…"

Dean trialed off, his voice lodging in his throat, as she finally looked up. Dean couldn't speak, couldn't _breathe. _His mouth dropped as he tried to say something that would piece together or make sense of what was unfolding in front of him. There was just no way…it wasn't possible…Dean simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't think he'd see her gorgeous face ever again…and yet, here she was, standing in front of him.

She was staring at him too, her eyes wide with shock, the expression on her face probably matching his. She had momentarily forgotten about her whiskey soaked shirt as they just took each other in.

Even with the world having just dropped out from under his feet, Dean couldn't help but notice everything about her. Those crystal blue eyes that he wanted to drown in; the dark brown hair, which was slightly longer than when he last saw her. And Dean was sure that if he stepped close enough, under the smell of alcohol, would be the scent of coconut from her favorite shampoo, that she was seemingly always enveloped in.

Finally, Dean couldn't stand the silence any longer. He opened his mouth, not exactly sure what would come out.

"_Danni,_"

**Oh boy, what'll happen now!? I hope you liked the chapter!**

**I'll try to update as soon as I can. Until then, please review, let me hear what you think!**

**Thanks, as always, for reading and supporting my stories!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	8. Chapter 8

**So here's chapter 28! Now that Dean and Danni have been reunited…Well just read on and find out =)**

**I don't own Supernatural, just my OCs'. The lyrics aren't mine either.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 28: Reunited

_-:-_

_I hear your heart cry for love,_

_But you won't let me make it right._

_You were hurt, but I decided,_

_That you were worth the fight._

_Every night, you lock up,_

_You won't let me come inside._

_-Heart Vacancy; The Wanted_

_-:-_

Danni's vision tunneled until all she could see was Dean. Even though the bar roared with noise from the laughter of people to the chink of glasses against one another, it was silent as she and Dean stared at each other. After whispering her name in shock, Dean had fallen silent. Danni hadn't said anything yet. Mostly because everything she wanted to say, everything she should've said, it all stuck in her throat, choking her.

After a moment, Danni watched as Dean set down the two, nearly-empty glasses in his hands on the bar counter. That was when Danni remembered that she was soaked in whiskey. Before she could do anything, Dean grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the back of the bar and into the men's bathroom. If she had been a normal girl, getting whiskey spilled on her by a normal guy, she probably would've protested on being dragged in the men's bathroom. But she wasn't normal. Neither was Dean. And Danni figured most guys would find it hot that there was a chick standing next to urinals, whereas most women would shriek and hit and scream if a guy walked into the women's bathroom.

Once checking under the stalls to make sure they were alone, Dean turned to her, surprise the prime emotion still present on his face. "Are-" Dean cleared his throat, searching for the words. "Are you okay?"

"It's just a little whiskey, Dean. I'll be fine." Danni said quietly, wondering how she had managed to find her voice. Dean smirked at her response, and it made Danni realize how much she had really missed seeing him every day.

"That's not what I meant," he said.

"I'm still fine, either way. I just need to get cleaned up." She replied, shrugging out of her leather jacket as she made her way over to one of the sinks.

"Sorry about spilling whiskey all over you," Dean said, sounding sincere.

She gave him half a smile. "Compared to some of the scrapes I've gotten into, this is nothing."

"True," Dean agreed, leaning up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

Once the water from the faucet ran hot, Danni reached down and pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her in just a black bra on top. She could feel her cheeks turning pink knowing that Dean was standing just feet away, watching her as she started wringing the whiskey out of her shirt. But when Danni looked out of the corner of her eye at him, he had turned his back on her, politely giving her privacy. Mildly stunned, Danni continued washing her shirt out as best as she could.

She didn't know how long had passed before she felt a tap on her arm. She turned to see Dean handing her the plaid flannel shirt he had been wearing over his t-shirt.

"What's that for?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, you're not just gonna walk out into a bar full of drunk guys with just a jacket on, are you?" Dean smirked.

Danni pondered that for a moment. "Good point. Thanks."

Danni set her wet shirt on the sink, then shrugged into Dean's shirt. Dean was almost twice her size so the shirt hit her mid-thigh and was quite a bit wider than she was. The shirt smelled like him. It was all pine and leather and gun-powder smell. Danni loved that smell. Blushing slightly, she did the buttons up quickly, acutely aware of Dean, just a foot or two away. Danni opened the cabinet below the sink and grabbed one of the plastic bags used for the garbage cans and tossed her soiled shirt inside. She tied the bag up, grabbed her jacket, and followed Dean back out into the din of the bar. They walked to the back corner of the bar, and as they neared a small table, Danni recognized the familiar mop of brown hair, the brooding look, and the long legs. Danni could barely contain the smile growing on her face.

"Hey, Sam, look who I bumped into. Literally," Dean said, and she could hear the amusement in Dean's voice.

Sam looked up and Danni stepped out from behind Dean into full view of the younger Winchester brother. Sam's expression was shocked, much like his brother's had been upon first seeing her. But then Sam smiled, stood up, and embraced her in a hug.

"Hey, Danni! How you been?" Sam asked, pulling away.

"I've been good. You?" she asked.

"Same here. Why don't you sit down," Sam said, pulling a third chair over to the table.

Danni sat down in between the two brothers, instantly feeling better than she had in weeks. The past two months had been fine to get her mind off things, but she had missed Sam and Dean. She missed the feeling of having friends—a family—she could count on to have her back. As they sat down, Sam eyed Danni's borrowed shirt with a bemused expression on his face.

"So I take it you're in town doin' the same thing we are?" Sam asked her.

"Vampires," the three of them said in unison, and Danni smiled. Yup, she definitely missed this.

"So what do you guys have so far?" Danni asked, grabbing one of the newspaper articles on the attacks that Sam had spread out over the table.

"Not much. Uh, four vics'. All with bites covering their bodies'. It's unusual for vamps to do that. We're still trying to figure out why that is," Sam replied, his eyes skimming over the page he had open on his laptop as he spoke.

"That's about as far as we've gotten," Danni said, then, too late, realized her mistake.

"We?" Dean asked.

"Uh…yeah. I've been working with another hunter on this one," Danni muttered, purposely not looking at Dean.

"Another hunter?" Dean echoed, sounding wary. "What's their name? Maybe we've heard of 'em,"

Danni stayed silent. Sam looked curious, but didn't push. Dean wasn't so patient.

"So?" Dean prompted. "Guy hunter? Girl hunter? I'd like to see you hunt with another girl-"

"Dean," Sam cut off Dean, whose face had lit-up in excitement. Danni was sure that he was thinking about her and another girl sharing a room, probably imagining naked pillow-fights in his mind.

Dean cleared his throat, his face turning somewhat serious again. "Anyways…so this other hunter?"

"You know what guys, it's late and I still smell like whiskey, so I'm gonna go. I'll call tomorrow morning so we can all meet up. G'night." Danni stood up, then turned, not waiting to see the expressions on the brothers' faces.

Ten minutes later Danni unlocked the door to her motel room and ducked inside.

"You're back earlier than I thought you would be," a man's voice said from over in the kitchen area.

"Yeah," Danni responded absently as she tossed the plastic bag with her shirt in it on the bed. She shucked off her jacket and tossed that on the bed too.

"You don't even sound a little drunk," he joked.

"Yeah, well, like you said, I didn't stay long enough to get that many drinks in me. I ran into some guys I knew. That's why I left. Things were becoming…."

"Weird? Awkward?" he supplied.

"A little bit, yeah." Danni muttered. She sat down on the bed and fidgeted with the ends of Dean's shirt. The shirt made it seem like he was in the room with her. She wished he was. Sighing, Danni fell back against the bed and gazed up at the white ceiling.

"Who'd you run into?" he asked.

Danni paused. Should she tell him? Might as well, since they were all working together anyway. This was his case, so it's not like he would leave if she asked.

"Sam and Dean," she said quietly.

"Winchester?"

"Yup," Danni replied, trying to make it sound like no big deal.

"The odds of us bumping into each other are like a million to one-" he protested, though he didn't really sound angry like she thought he might be.

"They're here for the same reason we are. The vampires," Danni reasoned.

"I take it we're working with them, then?"

"It's either that or get in each other's way. I'm gonna give them a call in the morning."

"Do they know I'm with you?" he asked, wary.

"They know another hunter is with me," she replied, just as wary in her response. "They don't know it's you though. That's why I left the bar. They asked, and I wasn't ready to tell them."

"You mean you weren't ready to tell Dean," he said mildly.

"Yes," Danni admitted. "Dean and I didn't exactly leave off on the best of terms. If I told him you were with me now, he would've tipped a table over in front of the whole bar."

"You changed," he said. Danni heard the screech of chair legs against the floor and watched as he approached.

"What?" Danni asked in puzzlement, then realized that she was still in Dean's shirt. "Oh. This. Right. Well, when I said we bumped into each other, I mean that quite literally."

"So Dean gave you his shirt," he smirked.

"He was just being polite," Danni muttered lamely.

"Right," he laughed. "You should really take a shower, Danni. You smell like a bar."

"Oh, shut up," she shoved his arm playfully. "You look exhausted, Michael. Get some sleep."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Sam was at the table in his and Dean's motel room, staring at the case file they had drawn on the vampires in Spirit Lake. He heard his brother sigh for about the millioneth time that morning.

"Shouldn't she have called by now?" Dean asked. Again.

"Dean, she'll call when she calls." Sam told him, irritation quickly setting in.

Even since they had run into Danni last night, Dean had pretty much been boring a hole in his phone, waiting for her to call. Sam was glad they had run into each other. Dean had been driving him nuts lately, always staring at his phone, contemplating whether to call her or not. He had become moodier, grumpier, ever since she left. And whenever Sam asked what happened that night she left, Dean would just glare at him until Sam gave up. Sam hoped that being around Danni again would help Dean feel a little better. Though, if she left again….No. Sam couldn't think like that. Sam didn't know how, but Dean would convince her to stay.

Dean's Smoke on the Water ring-tone interrupted Sam's thoughts.

"Finally," Dean muttered. "Hey, Danni."

Sam watched in amusement as his brother's face lit up when he heard Danni's voice on the phone. Sam drowned out the conversation as he zoned in on a paper he was looking at. The last victim had a younger brother who had been there during the attack.

"Dean-" Sam cut off when Dean held up a hand to stop him.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay, Danni. See ya soon." Dean ended the call then turned to Sam. "What'd you find?"

"The last victim, Maggie James, has a kid brother. He was there when Maggie was attacked. we should go talk to him," Sam told him.

"Alright. Danni said she'd be here in twenty minutes. We can go then," Dean replied, stretching as he moved from his position by the window where he'd spent his whole morning. "I'm gonna go get some grub before she gets here. You want anything?"

"No thanks," Sam responded absently.

"Your loss," Dean grinned as he grabbed his favorite leather jacket and headed out into the cold December air.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Danni stood outside the Winchester's motel room, wrapped in her leather jacket, hesitating before knocking on the door. She still wasn't sure if she was ready to see the brothers'—well, Dean's—reaction to seeing her with Michael.

"Danni, would you just knock on the door already," Michael said.

She glared at him for a moment, before sighing in defeat. "Fine," she huffed, her breath billowing out in a white cloud.

Danni raised a fist and rapped on the door with her knuckles. She heard feet shuffling inside. Then, from the other side of the door, came the sound of the chain being undone and locks turning. When the door opened, Danni saw Sam standing in the doorway, a smile on his face. When he saw Michael, though, that smile wavered slightly. But it was just for a second. Then the smile was back and the younger Winchester was letting them into the motel room.

"Hey, Sam," she said once they were inside. "Where's Dean?"

"He went to get food," Sam replied kindly, though Danni could tell he was questioning why Michael was with her. "Hey, Michael,"

"Hey, Sam," Michael greeted him back, shaking Sam's outstretched hand.

Michael looked like he was about to say more, but then the door opened, and Dean stepped through. Dean froze the second his green eyes set on Michael's form. He didn't say anything, but set down the bag of food he had in his hands. His eyes flicked over to Danni, then he went back outside, and Danni knew he expected her to follow. She heard Sam clear his throat and the creak of springs as he sat down on one of the beds. Danni turned to look at Michael. His jaw was set angrily upon seeing Dean, but once he saw Danni's face, his expression softened and his brown eyes filled with sympathy.

"I'll be in here if you need me," Michael said gently.

Danni nodded, and then turned and followed Dean outside, shutting the door behind her. Dean was pacing angrily, rubbing a hand across his stubble-covered jaw. Snow had started to fall gently, covering the already white ground in another layer of snow. Her footsteps crunched as she stepped towards Dean. Somehow, over the course of two months, he had become even more gorgeous than the last time she saw him. She wanted to reach out and touch him, give him a hug; she just wanted to be near him. She had given Sam a hug last night in the bar, but she and Dean had barely gone near each other. Sleeping in Dean's shirt had been one thing, but it hadn't actually been him. And now he was right here…so close…

"_Michael?_" Dean's incredulous, furious voice interrupted her thoughts. "Michael's the other hunter? Really? So what, you dump me and Sam for you ex, is that it?"

Danni stood still, refusing to waver in face of his anger. She looked at him, but didn't say anything, which seemed to only fuel his temper.

"I can't believe you, Danni. First, you ditch us without even a phone call to tell us if you're okay. I mean, I understand you not calling me, but you could've at least called Sam, or Bobby. Or your mom. I'm sure she would've liked to know that you were alive. And then, you waltz in on the case, toting lover-boy around as your new handbag. He's not even a hunter! I mean, what the hell Danni-?" Dean's voice rose as he spoke, practically yelling at her.

"Stop," she interrupted. "Look, it's not what you think. Now how about you hear me out before you start yelling at me,"

Dean glared a moment longer, before his face smoothed out a little bit. "Fine,"

Danni took a deep breath, not really expecting him to give up so easily. "He called, after I left…he said he wanted to meet up, talk. So I said yes. told him where I was, and we talked. He apologized for kissing me and picking a fight with you—"

"Yeah, I'll bet he was really sorry about that," Dean muttered.

"Would you just shut up and let me finish?" Danni snapped, feeling satisfied as Dean looked a little taken aback. "Anyway, he told me the real reason he came to find me in the first place,"

"Which was…?" Dean prompted.

"You said he's not even a hunter, well, actually he is."

"Come again?" Dean said, his eyebrows arching in surprise.

"Yeah, he's a hunter. He's been at it for about six years now. It was a couple years after we broke up, after college, he was visiting his sister. One night, he went to his sister's house and she and her boyfriend were being attacked. by vampires. They flew out of there pretty quick after he showed up, but it was too late. They disappeared with his sister and her boyfriend was dead." Danni paused, watching Dean's face as it smoothed out with realization. "Remember, I told Michael what I did for a living, and he didn't really believe me up till that point. He tried contacting me after the attack but by then I had changed phones. So, he found other hunters. And he got into the life, same as the rest of us."

Dean was silent for a long time. Finally, "Why didn't he tell us this when he first found you?"

"He didn't want to come off as more of a threat than he already was. He'd heard about you guys before, so he knew how you react to strangers," Danni smirked.

Dean folded his arms over his chest and grunted something incomprehensible.

"Why didn't you tell us this last night?" Dean asked.

"Really? Can't figure that out?" Danni muttered. "Because I didn't want us fighting in the middle of a bar full of people. Drunk people. We would've started a whole bar fight. Didn't really feel like getting arrested."

"Yeah, okay," Dean mumbled, then sighed.

"Look, I know you're not thrilled about working with him, Dean, but this is his case." Danni told him, taking a step closer. He looked a little unsure, but didn't say anything. "The vampires that took his sister, left bite marks like these ones all over her boyfriend's body. They've popped up a few other times, but he's never been able to find the nest before they clear out of town. He's got point on this, Dean, so you're just gonna have to cooperate,"

"And if I don't?" Dean gave her a mischievous smile and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, you either have to work with me and Michael or you have to leave town. And I know that you and Sam would never leave in the middle of a case," she smiled at him.

"Yeah, okay. I'll behave. Promise." Dean smiled, before the smile faltered. "Just one question,"

"Yeah?"

Dean shuffled his feet, looking momentarily uncomfortable. "You and Michael….um…are…you…"

Dean trailed off, his eyebrows creasing together, begging her to understand. Danni felt her mouth gape into a little _o _shape as she realized what Dean was trying to ask. She felt her face go red, and she quickly looked down at her feet so he wouldn't see.

She gave a nervous laugh. "No…no we're not…sleeping together, if that's what you mean." She whispered.

Dean shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck, uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked,"

"No, it's alright. Should we go back inside?" Danni pointed a thumb back at the door.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah. Let's go back inside." Dean said a little too quickly.

Danni turned, five feet from the door, when Dean called her name.

"Yeah?" she asked.

Danni barely had time to react before Dean's long legs crossed the distance between them and he had his arms wrapped around her. She stood stunned for a moment, the snow swirling around them as it began to fall harder. Then, she returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Dean's solid form. She breathed in the leather scent of his jacket and felt her body absorb his warmth.

"It's good to see you, Danni." He murmured in her ear, his voice as soft as a lullaby.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too." She whispered.

**So there's chapter 28! Sorry for the little delay, I've been super busy! so the next chapter, we'll get to see if Dean actually cooperates with Micheal =) There will be the beheading of vampires involved too. And Chapter 30, well, I promise we'll get some Dean and Danni action, and some more Sam and Gwen too. Tell me what you guys think!**

**Stay tuned!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	9. Chapter 9

**Really sorry, guys, for the late update. The past couple months have been insanely busy, but I'm on summer vacation now, so hopefully I will be updating more frequently. This chapter is longer though, so hope that makes up for its lateness a little bit =)**

**Anyway, I just want to thank everyone for all the great reviews and support on this story.**

**I don't own Supernatural.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 29: Blood and Whiskey

_Everything I know is wrong_

_Everything I do, it just comes undone_

_And everything is torn apart_

_-The Hardest Part; Coldplay_

Sam watched as Michael laid out a map of Spirit Lake on the table. Michael had circled in red where each of the four victims—three girls and one man—had been attacked.

"The first thing you have to know is that these vamps pop up like this every three years. They settle in a town, and after a few months, they start killing." Michael said.

"What do they do when they're not munching on people's necks?" Dean asked, an eyebrow raised.

"They hibernate, kinda. They keep a supply of blood bags. The last time they surfaced, down in Tampa, I found the nest, but they had already left. There were blood-bags everywhere." Michael stared at the table momentarily, most likely remembering the vamp nest. "Anyway, that brings me to my next point. The vamps, they hunt in groups of five or six. They attack groups of two. Whether it's two girls, two guys, or one of each, doesn't matter. They feed on one right where they attack, then they take the other back to their nest where they gradually drain them."

"How many times do they attack in a town?" Sam asked, looking down at the pictures of the four victims.

"Five," Michael answered gravely. "Of the five vics' they take, they drain four and Turn one. So there's a lot of 'em."

"So we have to find the nest tonight," Dean stated. "Please tell me you know where they like to hole up,"

"About that," Michael started to say, but held up a hand as Dean started to protest. "Let me finish. Vampires usually like to nest outside of the town they're in, where they can't easily be found or noticed, right?"

"Yeah," Dean conceded.

"That's what I thought, too. But every time I checked in abandoned houses or warehouses, I came up with jack. So, last time, in Tampa, I thought maybe these vamps were changing it up. And I figured it out. They hid out right _in _town, right in plain sight. It's actually pretty smart. They're less conspicuous that way."

"You think maybe they're hiding out in town this time, too?" Danni asked.

"Yeah," Michael said, pointing to the map. "All the attacks so far have been in alleys surrounding this three block radius, and right at the center of it all is an apartment complex that's under construction. It's a long shot, but I think it's worth checking out."

Sam nodded, thinking that they had nothing better to go on. "Sounds good to me,"

"Wait," Dean said. "Now, I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but how can we be sure that the vamps are there? I mean, if we get the wrong place, we might scare 'em off. And like you said, these bastards won't resurface for another three years. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't want to see somebody else die because we weren't sure."

"I think I know how we can be sure," Sam interjected before Michael could respond.

"How?" Danni asked.

"Dean, the last vic, Maggie James, she has a little brother. Maggie's missing, she's probably the one the vamps took. But her brother survived the attack. He's…" Sam paused, grabbing the paper he had scribbled notes on. "Yeah, her brother, Kyle, is in the hospital. Let's go talk to him. He may have seen something."

Sam glanced at his brother. He just hoped his brother would agree and not argue any further. Sam didn't exactly love working with Michael, but the guy had the information they needed, so it was work with Michael or let the vamps get away again.

"Aright, I'll go talk to the kid," Dean said finally, heading over to the door to grab his jacket.

"You mind if I come with?" Michael asked.

Sam looked at his brother. Dean's eyes flicked over to him, and Sam gave his brother a slight nod. Dean contemplated a moment longer, the struggle between saying yes or no written all over his face. Finally, after what felt like hours,

"Sure. But we're taking my car," Dean said gruffly. Then, without waiting for Michael to catch up, Dean headed out the door.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Danni's eyes stayed glued to the red motel room door long after Dean and Michael had walked through it. She had heard the familiar rumble of the Impala's engine just seconds after the door had clicked back in its frame. She could feel Sam's eyes on her. When she turned to look at him, he gave her a small smile, but his forehead was creased. Whether it was from confusion, concentration, or worry, she didn't know, but it was a look she just associated with Sam, so she shrugged it off. Before, Danni had been standing around the table, listening as Michael had filled the boys in, but now she slumped down in one of the unoccupied chairs. Unable to bear the deafening silence any longer, she asked the question that had been burning in the back of her mind since the night before.

"How's he been?" she asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

Sam exhaled slowly, the crease deepening in between his eyebrows. "Honestly? Not great. He's been moodier. He's been drinking to make up for what he doesn't eat. All he wants to do his work,"

Danni felt her chest constrict. If she had known Dean would spiral downwards like this in her absence, she would've called, visited, something. Maybe not even have left at all. Sam seemed to notice the guilt and pain masking her features.

"Don't feel too bad, Danni." Sam said gently. "He's acted like this before. He was like this after our dad died. It's not out of the ordinary for him. He lost you, he lost a friend. We both did. He'll get over it,"

Danni couldn't help the bitter laugh the escaped past her lips. "Get over it? I don't think so. You didn't see the fight we had,"

"What _did _you two fight about, anyway?" Sam asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Danni questioned disbelievingly.

"No," Sam smirked. "Every time I tried to get him to tell me about it he threatened to break some bone in my body, so I just left it alone."

Danni felt her lips curl up in a small smile. "Yeah, that sounds like him. Well…let's just say that I said some things I shouldn't have."

"I'm sure Dean said some things, too. You guys will get past it," Sam consoled.

"Yeah…" Danni trailed off, ready to just drop the subject. "Thanks, Sam."

"No problem, Danni." Sam smiled. "It's good to have you back."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

So far, the ride to the hospital had been silent. Dean didn't know what to say to Michael. And even if he had, he didn't really feel like talking to Danni's ex.

"Can we make a stop real quick?" Michael asked suddenly from the passenger seat of the Impala.

Dean glanced over at him. "Sure. Where to?"

"Just our motel. I was gonna get our things and check out. We can just switch motels, so we're not across town from each other," Michael responded.

Dean drove to Danni and Michael's motel, following the directions Michael gave him. Dean pulled up and watched Michael open the door and climb out of the car. Michael turned to lean through the doorway.

"I could use some help getting our bags, if you don't mind," Michael said.

Yeah, okay." Dean replied gruffly. "Why don't you go check out and I'll start grabbing your guys' stuff."

"Here," Michael responded, tossing Dean the room key. Dean caught it nimbly in one hand, read the number attached to the key, and made his way up to the third floor of the motel.

He stepped inside the room and flipped the light switch, encasing the room in yellow light. Dean saw that there wasn't much to pick up. He noticed a few of Danni's things on the bed and put them in the duffel bag he knew was hers. He went into the bathroom and grabbed the toiletries from by the sink and packed them away in the appropriate bags. Dean searched the fridge and nightstands, making sure he had everything. He was about to leave when he spotted a shirt under one of the pillows on Danni's bed. He took it out and immediately recognized it as the one he had given her last night. The thought that she had slept with his shirt—maybe even _in _his shirt—made him smile.

Dean made his way back downstairs to see Michael waiting, leaning against the hood of the Impala. Dean opened the door to the backseat, tossed the luggage inside, then climbed in the driver's seat in a very familiar fashion. Michael followed him into the car, and Dean started up the engine, pulled out of the lot, and drove in the direction of the hospital.

The ride started out silent once again. Dean could feel the question he'd been meaning to ask Michael burn on the tip of his tongue. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Dean blurted.

Michael smirked, amused. "Am I not allowed to be nice?"

"No, it's just that I've been a complete dick to you ever since we met, and you've been…pleasant. I don't get it,"

"Well, Dean, I wasn't exactly the nicest guy to you either. I figure, now, well why not start fresh? I mean, you're friends with Danni, so I figure I should at least _try _and get along with you." Michael responded. "And, well, I get it,"

"Get what?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why you acted like an ass when we met," Michael joked.

"Yeah, and why did I act like an ass, exactly?"

"Danni told you what I did, right? How I cheated on her. Well, I would've been a jerk to me, too." Michael paused. "What I did was stupid. But, hey, when you're in college, you do stupid things. But I did a stupid thing to the wrong person. Danni doesn't take any crap from anyone. That's what's so great about her. So remember that for the future,"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, confused.

"You really don't know?" Michael responded, incredulous.

"Know what?"

Michael scoffed. "Wow. She is really determined this time…"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Dean demanded, getting impatient with Michael's one-sentence responses.

"You like Danni, right?" Michael said, avoiding Dean's question.

"Um…yeah. I guess." Dean said awkwardly, feeling like he was in eighth grade talking about some crush to his brother.

"Well, she likes you, too." Michael responded. One sentence. Again.

"Right," Dean snorted. "She practically said that she'd rather leave than be with my sorry ass. So exactly how does that translate into her liking me, too?"

"I just know, alright. She's like this, Dean. It took a year of me asking her out to finally get her to agree to go out on a date with me."

"A year?" Dean echoed.

"Yeah," Michael sighed. "Something you need to know about Danni? She does not give into her feelings easily. Not those kind of feelings, anyway. She can get upset, angry, frustrated, whatever. But when it comes to getting close to anyone, beyond the realm of friendship, she clams up. She buries any feeling she has and locks it up."

"That's why she's being like this?" Dean asked for clarification.

"Yup. She dated a guy before me. It was short term, but she was the same way with him. I think it has something to do with her dad and brother dying," Michael responded.

Dean pondered that for a moment. It made sense. Danni had been extremely close with her dad and brother. The thought of being close to anyone like that would terrify her. Especially if there was a chance she could lose someone again. _And that's why she left, _he thought. _I'm dying, so if she loses me, it'll be like losing her family all over again. _

"All I'm sayin', Dean," Michael concluded as they pulled into the hospital's lot. "is don't give up on her. She's made it very clear that she's not interested in me anymore. The way she talks about you, and from what I can see myself, you're a good guy. Just promise me you'll do a better job than I did,"

"Yeah, I promise." Dean parked the car, the space then momentarily filling with an awkward silence. "Okay, we done with this conversation? Because I'd like to get out of this car before the sad background music cues."

"Yeah, we're done," Michael quickly agreed.

They climbed out of the car, but Dean paused before heading towards the entrance. "You wanna mend fences, is that it?"

Michael shrugged.

Dean held out his hand. "Well, hi. I'm Dean Winchester. It's nice to meet you."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Danni paused in sharpening her favored machete when she heard the familiar rumble of the Impala's engine pull outside the motel. She hurried over to the door and flung it open. She watched as Michael pulled their luggage out of the back—_Must be changing motels, _she thought—and Dean followed with an armful of food trays. She saw Michael say something to Dean, then watched as Dean threw his head back and laughed. It was a beautiful sight. Not only the look of pureness on Dean's face as he laughed, but the fact that her ex and Dean were getting along finally. Dean saw her watching them, so when he passed her in the doorway, he bent down and whispered in her ear: "Not a word,"

She just turned and shared a smirk with Sam, who had also caught a glimpse of his brother and Michael getting along. Dean ignored them and started handing out food. Sam didn't even protest when Dean handed him a cheeseburger. Guess even Sam realized he needed to eat meat every once in a while. Michael set down the duffel bags and grabbed the six pack from the fridge, handing one to each of them in turn. As they say down in various spots in the room, Sam asked about the visit with the little boy, Kyle.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked, concerned.

Dean nodded, swallowing the bite of burger he had just taken. "Yeah. He lost some blood and he's a little shaken up, but he'll heal. He said he and his sister were in an alley right next to that run-down apartment building when they were attacked. He saw the vamps take his sister in there."

"Well," Michael started, taking his wrapper, balling it up, and throwing it into the trash. "Looks like we've got some bloodsuckers to decapitate,"

As the sun set on the western horizon and night fell in, the four of them finished strapping on their machetes and loading syringes full of dead-man's blood into their jacket pockets. Danni waited until Sam and Michael had gone out to the car to sidle up to Dean.

"So," she started, unable to keep the smile off her face.

"Aw, shut up." Dean interrupted. "Not you too,"

"What do you mean?"

"Sam's been giving me weird looks ever since we got back. Don't you start," Dean muttered, annoyance creeping into his tone.

Danni gave a small laugh. "Okay, okay. I'll leave it alone. Just wondering what changed your mind, is all…"

She trailed off, giving Dean a sideways glance as she waited for an explanation. He stood, stubbornly not looking at her, keeping his eyes on the duffel bag in front of him. Finally, he sighed hugely and rolled his eyes.

"I don't know," Dean mumbled. "The guy can be pretty persuasive, I guess."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Danni replied, giving Dean's confused expression one last smile, before she headed out to the Impala.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Dean watched as Sam lowered the binoculars from his eyes.

"That's the building," his brother said.

Dean double checked all his pockets for each weapon he carried. They all silently agreed that it was time, so Dean opened his door and climbed out of the car, parked across the street from the under-construction apartment building. His breath billowed in the December air. He looked over at Sam, who was double-checking his pockets for the hundredth time. Michael's face was a steely mask of determination. Dean understood. He knew what it felt like to be so close to revenge that you could taste its bitter-sweetness. Lastly, Dean looked over at Danni. Her hair, pulled up in a ponytail for hunting, was swaying slightly in the cold breeze. Her eyes were narrowed at the building across the street. Dean walked over to her, his feet crunching in the snow.

"What's up?" he said quietly.

She held up a hand, gesturing for him to give her a minute. After what felt like a year, she finally spoke. "There's at least two dozen of 'em in there,"

"How can you tell?" he asked, puzzled.

She gave a mischievous smile. "I have my ways,"

"What, your angel radar going off or something?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." She paused. "I've been working on tapping into my Grace. I'm getting better. Gabriel's been helping me a bit, too. When Michael's not around, anyway."

"Gabriel?" he asked jokingly.

"Hey, he came to me," she protested. "I've been learning a lot. And I can smite a demon without passing out now."

"That's good…I guess." Dean finished lamely. He had never been too keen on accepting Sam's powers, and it was kinda the same thing with Danni, too. But she was also making him realize that maybe he had always judged Sam a little harshly about the powers he didn't ask for in the first place. "So Michael doesn't know about, you know…"

"The fact that I'm half-angel?" she whispered. "No, he doesn't know. He doesn't need to know."

Dean would've said more, but Michael came up to them.

"I think we should split up," Michael suggested.

"Okay, I'll—" Dean started to say, but was cut off by his brother.

"I'll go with Danni. We'll take the east side of the building." Sam chimed in. Danni nodded her agreement and went to stand by Sam.

Dean suppressed the urge to protest. Admittedly, Dean had been getting along with Michael all afternoon, but that didn't mean he wanted to hunt with him, exactly. He's hunted with Sam and Danni before, he knew their hunting styles. He hadn't hunted with Michael before, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out if the guy had his back or not while they were up against a couple dozen vamps. But he didn't voice any of that out loud.

"Well, guess we'll take the west side of the building then." He said to Michael, who agreed with a nod of his head.

Without another word, the four of them headed across the street and separated into their respectful groups, Dean letting Michael take the lead as they headed towards the west side of the building.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Sam led Danni towards the east side of the building, finding a service door that, luckily, was unlocked. They hit the basement first and found nothing besides construction equipment and the occasional beer bottle, which Sam figured were left-over signs of stupid teenagers who decided it would be a good idea to sneak into an abandoned building to get drunk. They were doing the same thing, pretty much, but a) they weren't drunk and b) they snuck into abandoned buildings professionally.

"Hey, Sam?" Danni whispered the silence as they traveled up another flight of stairs to the fourth floor.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." She paused. "For, you know, volunteering to go with me."

Sam chuckled quietly. "No problem. You're not the only one who didn't want a fist-fight breaking out between dumb and dumber."

"Which one's dumber?" she asked jokingly.

"I think we both know the answer to that. You know Dean, sometimes he can be a little thick-headed." He responded.

"Yeah, I know." She sighed.

They made their way silently through seven more floors, not finding a trace of any vamps. No blood, no screaming people, not so much as a rustling plastic tarp that covered most of the windows on the upper floors.

"There are only fifteen floors, where the hell are they?" Sam muttered, not really expecting an answer.

"We're getting close," Danni said. He waited for her to elaborate. She didn't.

"So, you getting like a half-angel vibe or something?" Sam asked.

She snorted. "Sure, if that's what you wanna call it, then yeah. Wait, Sam. I've got something."

Sam swung the beam of his flashlight around to Danni, who was crouched down on the balls of her feet, picking something up off the saw-dust covered ground. She stood, holding something small and white in between her fingers. She shone her own light on the object, and it took Sam less than a second to recognize it.

"Vampire fang," he whispered. "Guess we are getting close."

Danni dropped the fang and brought her machete up. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sam asked, straining his ears for any sound, but there was nothing. Just the sound of their breathing and the slight sound of wind wafting outside the half-finished windows.

"There it is again," Danni muttered. She started walking towards the next stairwell. Sam thought he felt movement behind him, and he spun around, machete raised. Nothing. When he turned back, Danni was lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Danni!" he cried quietly. He made it all of two steps before everything went black.

When Sam came to, he was in one of the larger apartment rooms, he assumed closer to the top floor. This apartment was oddly more complete than some of the others they'd passed by, which was probably why the vamps chose it for their hideout. The apartment was dimly lit, with lanterns sitting in various spots in the room, casting white light over everything. Sam wriggled his hands behind his back, which felt like they were bound with duct tape, attached around an unfinished ceiling beam of wood. He glanced around, spotting Danni, similarly tied up about six feet away.

"Danni," he hissed, seeing as she was still unconscious. "Danni!"

Her head moved slightly. He watched as she shifted, and made the realization that they were tied up. She looked fine, save for a small knot on the back of her head. Sam was sure he had one to match. She looked around, and met Sam's eyes.

"Well, I don't see…anyone else, so I guess that's good, right?" she said, emphasizing 'anyone else', and Sam nodded, letting her know that he knew she meant Dean and Michael.

Then another voice spoke out of the shadows where the lanterns light didn't reach. "And that, sweetheart, is where you're wrong."

Sam and Danni swiveled their heads at the same time, watching as another lantern flickered to life, revealing one of the vamps. He was probably in his mid-thirties, with blonde hair and pale, glass-like blue eyes, and wearing a maroon leather jacket, deep v-neck, and tight jeans, which Dean would probably comment on as being 'a douchy boy-band outfit'. The vampire grinned, his second set of teeth descending like a portcullis over his others.

"Brandt, that's enough," a girl's voice chided, and another vampire stepped out from the shadows. She was probably Sam's age, with black hair, and brown eyes, and a kind of familiar face. Sam looked over when Danni let loose a small gasp.

"Megan?" she whispered. Danni's eyes grew wide like she'd seen a ghost.

The girl grinned. "Hi, Danni. Long time no see."

"Danni, you know her?" Sam asked, confused.

Danni nodded. "Yeah. Megan is Michael's sister. The one that was kidnapped by vamps nine years ago. You're alive?"

"Well, I'm a vampire, not really alive, but yeah I'm not really dead either I guess." Megan said, smiling like she thought she was the funniest person alive. "Danni, Danni, Danni. It really is good to see you. Who's your friend?"

"The name's Sam," he told Megan.

"So this is who you gave my brother up for?" Megan asked, walking closer to Sam, eyeing him up and down appreciatively. "I can see why. He looks absolutely…_delicious._"

"I'm just a friend of Danni's, actually." Sam said. He wanted to keep her talking. The more they stalled, the more time there was for them to get loose or for Dean and Michael to find them. Though Sam didn't know how well Michael would react to seeing his sister, as a vampire, no less.

"More for me then," Megan said, leaning down, and Sam had to lean away before her out-coming fangs grazed his neck.

"Megan! Enough," a male voice snapped, much deeper than Brandt's voice had been. Megan grinned at Sam, but leaned back slowly.

"Danni, Sam, I would like you to meet Duke. Our fearless leader," Megan said, casting her eyes over to a dark-haired man coming out of the shadows.

"How many times have I asked you not to call me that?" Duke's voice boomed.

"Only a hundred or so," Megan smirked.

"Who are they?" Duke asked, eyes narrowing at him and Danni. "I thought I said no more than five victims in a town,"

"Yes, yes, we have to lie low. We know," Brandt drawled lazily. "They came to us. Hunters, no doubt. Found these on 'em."

Brandt dropped their weapons to the floor, but not anywhere close to where Sam or Danni could reach.

"Oh, these, too." Brandt said, holding out the dozen syringes of dead man's blood they had carried between them. Brandt dropped them to the ground—and as easily as if he were crushing an ant—stepped on the syringes. Sam watched as the scarlet liquid spilled out. Then Sam spotted something that gave him hope. He watched as Dean and Michael crept their way behind a stack of wooden beams, perfectly out of sight of the vampires. He saw Michael narrow his eyes at Megan's back, but he couldn't worry about that now. Sam started working even harder at loosening the duct tape that surrounded his wrists. If he could get himself free, then free Danni, they might have a chance.

"So I have a question," Danni stated, looking Duke straight in the eyes. "We know there's at least two dozen of you, but I only see you three. Where's the rest of your nest?"

Duke's lips curled into a malicious smile. "They're around. About half of us are up here with you, hiding,"

Sam couldn't help it; his eyes automatically started searching the shadows for a sign of movement.

"The rest of us," Duke continued. "are looking for the rest of your hunting party."

"There's only the two of us," Danni lied.

Duke chuckled; a deep, hollow sound that made Sam realize that Duke was probably very, very old.

"We can smell them, girl. I'm smarter than you believe it or not." Duke said.

"Oh, really? If you're so much smarter than me, then how did I manage to get out of my bonds without you noticing?" Danni smiled, cocky, and held up her duct-tape-free hands so the vamps could see.

The vampires' initial shock was just enough time for Danni to crouch down, grab their machetes' and slash Sam's hands free. Then all hell broke loose. Dean and Michael burst form their hiding spot, but so did the other nine or so vamps up there with them. Sam immediately went for Brandt, and with one smooth movement, the vamp's head was rolling on the ground, away into the shadows. Duke lunged for Danni, and Sam saw Dean chopping off several vamp heads to get to her defense. As Sam predicted, Michael went for Megan. And when he grabbed her, she spun around, greeting him with a mouthful of fangs.

"Hello, Michael," she grinned.

"Megan," he breathed, and she threw him into the same wood pile he had been hiding behind, sending him crashing head over heels.

Sam was going over to help him when another vamp grabbed him from behind and threw him on his back, all the air rushing out of him in a big whoosh. He managed to keep a grip on his machete, and as the vamp—one about Dean's age with red hair—leaned down to take a bite, he brought his weapon up. The vampire's head detached from its body, splattering Sam with thick, red blood. He rolled off his back and quickly turned to help Michael, but he wasn't there. Sam spotted him just as he decapitated one of the remaining vamps with a sickening _thwump. _

"What happened to you, Megs?" Michael asked, and the heartbreak for his sister was clear in his voice.

"Duke turned me. And I helped him and the others drain those other girls they kidnapped at the time." she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And you know what, Mikey? They were delicious. I've never felt better in my entire life."

As Michael and Megan talked, Sam eased his way around the dead bodies, through the shadows, so he came up behind Megan.

"You know I have to kill you now, right?" Michael asked. And though his voice shook, the hand that was holding his machete was steady.

"Yeah, unless I kill you first," Megan's fangs dropped.

But instead of lunging at Michael, like Sam expected, she turned inhumanly fast, and lunged at his neck instead. Sam fell to the floor, Megan on top of him. He felt her fangs sink into his flesh and he couldn't help the small cry of pain that escaped his lips.

"Sam!" he heard Dean shout from off to the side.

Invisible hands lifted her weight off him, and his hand immediately went to staunch the blood flow on the wound. Sam stared as Michael caught his sister's shoulder. Megan tried to snap at him with her bloodied mouth, and Sam saw recognition dawn in Michael's eyes as he realized that the girl in front of him was no longer his sister.

"I'm sorry, Megs. But you died a long time ago," Michael whispered.

Sam turned away. Not that the decapitation of a vampire sickened him, but the moment felt private. Only when he heard the thud of Megan's head, followed by the louder noise as her body collapsed, did he look back at Michael. Sam stood and laid a hand on the other hunter's shoulder.

"Sorry about your sister," he said quietly.

Michael nodded, but said nothing. Sam turned, getting the hint that he wanted to be left alone. So he turned to see Dean hauling Danni to her feet. She had a bite on her neck, similar to his. Dean was splattered with blood, some of it coming from a wound on his upper arm, which had cut through the fabric of his jacket and shirt.

"I take it you and Michael finished off the other vamps?" Sam asked his brother.

Dean nodded. "Yeah. About a dozen came for us. We also found the vics,"

"How are they?" Danni asked.

"Four of 'em are alive. A lot of blood loss, but alive," Dean said.

"The fifth?" Sam asked.

"They turned her. Luckily they didn't have time to unchain her. The other four are waiting by the entrance. We should get these bodies hauled away quick, so we can get them to the hospital. I saw a trash chute when we got up here. We can dump the bodies' down it. That'll make it easier to get 'em all outta here." Dean explained, then began dragging bodies down the hall.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Dean watched as Sam drove the Impala away from the building, heading to the hospital with the barely conscious victims. Dean 'borrowed' a truck to load all the dead vamps on, and Danni and Michael rode with him out to the woods, where they torched the bodies'. When only embers remained, they scattered the ashes, mixing them in with the snow. When they got back to the motel, after ditching the truck and hailing a cab, Dean walked into his and Sam's room, to see that Sam was already cleaned up, the wound on his neck cleaned and bandaged.

"Where're Danni and Michael?" Sam asked, as Dean stripped off his jacket and shirt to assess the damage on his wounded arm.

"In their own room, idiot." Dean muttered.

"Just asking, no need to get cranky." Sam said innocently.

"Well, it was a dumb question. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one," Dean retorted.

Sam just laughed and fell back against the bed, not saying any more.

Dean cleaned his wound, then hopped in the shower, needing to scrub all the vamp blood off himself. After deciding he'd spent enough time under the scalding water, he climbed out, wrapped a towel around his waist, then dressed the cut on his arm. After getting dressed, he passed Sam, now asleep, and headed outside to head over to Danni and Michael's room a few doors down. Surprisingly, after he knocked, Michael was the one to open the door.

"Hey," Dean greeted gruffly.

"Hey," Michael parroted back.

Knowing that Michael wouldn't want to talk about his dead vampire sister, Dean decided on a safer conversation starter. "Mind if I come in?"

"Make yourself at home," Michael said dryly as he stepped aside.

Dean looked around, listened, and instantly noticed what was missing. "Where's Danni?"

"She went outside about fifteen minutes ago. Looked like she wanted to be left alone." Michael said.

"I'm gonna go check on her," Dean said, even though he was sure Michael guessed that's what he was gonna do anyway. Dean turned at the last minute. "Hey, Michael…it was nice working with you tonight."

Michael smiled. "Yeah. You, too. Now why don't you go find Danni."

With that note, Dean turned and walked outside. Danni wasn't along the walk that ran in front of the motel rooms, so he figured she must be behind the motel, where he knew there was a short stretch of grass between the motel and the street behind it. Dean walked around the building, snow crunching under his boots. He did, indeed, spot Danni under the glow of one of the streetlamps. She was lying down in the snow, moving her arms and legs up and down repeatedly.

"Danni? What are you doing?" Dean asked, horribly puzzled.

"Makin' a snow angel," she answered, leaning her head back at him.

"Are…are you drunk?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm. Just a little," she said with a smile spreading across her face.

That's when Dean noticed a large bottle of vodka by her feet, drained, another one—two-thirds gone—in her hands.

"Awesome," he muttered.

"Hey, you wanna make a snow angel, too?" she asked, then burst into a fit of giggles.

Dean couldn't help but smile. He'd never seen Danni drunk before, and it was pretty amusing to see her giggle like a little girl.

"No, I'm okay," he responded, as he picked up the empty bottle and tossed it into a nearby trashcan.

Then he went over and scooped her up into his arms, bride style.

"Whoa," Danni mumbled, completely out of it. "I'm flying. Like Dumbo."

"Remind me never to give you vodka," Dean joked as he carried her back around the building and back to her motel room. Dean banged on the door with his foot, praying that Michael wasn't asleep, seeing as that it was nearing four in the morning. Thankfully, he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. Michael flung open the door, took one look at Danni, and stepped aside.

"What happened to her?" Michael asked.

"Vodka," Dean answered simply.

"Ah," was all Michael responded with.

Dean carried Danni over to her bed. She attempted to take another swig from the bottle she had in her hand, but Dean snatched it away.

"Hey," she protested, though her words were slightly slurred. "That's mine."

"Yeah, well, now it's mine." Dean told her, taking a drag from the bottle, then tossing what was left in the trash. The burn of alcohol down his throat was just what he needed at the moment. Dean sat down by Danni and began unlacing her shoes, pulling them off gently.

"Hey, Dean, why don't you take my bed tonight. I'll go share your room with Sam." Michael said quietly.

"Uh, sure. I guess. Here," Dean handed Michael his key, turning back to Danni as the other hunter shut the door behind him.

Dean was actually grateful Michael had offered to do that. He wanted some alone time with Danni, even if she was drunk and probably wouldn't remember a thing in the morning. He pulled off her jacket and tossed that on top of her duffel. He tugged the covers out from underneath her—causing her to laugh for some unknown reason—and pulled them up over her. She snuggled into the thick comforter and stared up at the ceiling. He just watched her, waiting for her to say something else.

"Dean?" she said finally.

"Yeah?"

"I want to tell you something…" she trailed off, then motioned with a hand for him to come closer. So he did. Still she motioned for him. He moved towards her till they were so close they could kiss. "I just wanted to say that…that you…were right."

"About what, exactly?" Dean asked, confused yet again.

"Everything."

"Okaaayy. I guess."

"I _mean…_"she huffed out a frustrated breath, laughed, then started again. "when we fought, you were right. I was wrong to give up so easily. I was being a coward. I'm s-still a coward. You were right. About how I feel about you, about-about everything. I didn't stop you from kissing me, because I didn't want to stop you. There. That's all I have to say about that. Ha, I just said something Forrest Gump said."

While Danni was laughing at her own hilarity, Dean couldn't move. He couldn't think. Even drunk, right now, she was the most beautiful thing in the whole world. He just wished she wasn't drunk. He wished she had been completely and utterly sober when she told him that. But she wasn't. And being this drunk she probably wouldn't remember this in the morning. So he'd be left with what she told him, and no way to coax it out of her when she _was_ sober. He ran a hand through his hair, and looked back at her.

She was asleep.

Dean sighed. He pushed the covers closer around her, switched off the lights, then climbed into Michael's vacant bed. It took him a long time to fall asleep, because the only thought on his mind was Danni. And the fact that he didn't know whether she was even coming back with him and Sam, or staying with Michael. The thought of losing her again killed him. He couldn't do it. He couldn't lose her. Especially not after what she told him. No, he decided. He was gonna win her over. He was gonna get her to tell him how she felt when she wasn't on a bender. If it was the last thing he did.

**So? What did ya think? Hope you liked it! **

**Again, sorry for the late update, but I should (hopefully) be getting the next chapter up shortly.**

**Thank you for all your support, you guys! Seriously, you guys are my heroes!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everybody! **

**I'm gonna start by saying that you guys are just so supportive and so wonderful for all your follows, favorites, and reviews. You guys brighten my day so much with your feedback, so THANK YOU!**

**So this chapter…the moment you've all been waiting for…can you guess what it is? =) **

**I don't own Supernatural.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 30: No More Excuses

_Settle down with me_

_And I'll be your safety_

_You'll be my lady_

_I was made to keep your body warm_

_But I'm cold as the wind blows so hold me in your arms_

_My heart's against your chest, your lips pressed to my neck_

_I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet_

_And with this feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now_

_-Kiss Me; Ed Sheeran_

When Danni woke up her head was pounding. She struggled to sit up, her stomach doing somersaults and her head feeling like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Dean said, and she turned to see him sitting on the bed next to her, lacing up his boots, his voice about ten times louder than usual. "How you feelin'?" he smirked.

She scowled at him.

"Awesome," she muttered. "it feels like I was tackled by an entire football team, ate bad shrimp, and got run over by a truck, all in the same night. So how do you think I'm feeling?"

"No need to be grumpy. It's not my fault you decided to have a party with vodka as your plus one." Dean smiled. "Big bottles, too. And pretty good vodka. Like, glass bottles. Let's just say you didn't put yourself to bed."

Danni mostly ignored him. She knew she was hung-over. Problem was she didn't remember deciding that getting drunk was a good idea. She could guess _why_ she had gotten drunk...probably something to do with the fact that Dean had come back into her life...and all she wanted to do was kiss him.

"So, I was pretty wasted last night?" she asked, standing slowly and making her way to the kitchenette to grab a glass of water.

Dean scoffed. "Just a little bit."

There was a pause, the air charged with tension.

"So, do you remember anything?" Dean asked just as tensely, breaking the silence.

Danni went stiff for a moment. If she thought about last night...she didn't completely remember everything that had happened, but she did remember spilling her guts to Dean. Everything she had been thinking about the past two months had come pouring out, the alcohol she had consumed acting like a truth serum, she knew that much. But what if she told him that she _did_ remember that? Where would that put them?

"Uh, no. Not really. I remember going outside, you bringing me inside, Michael leaving...that's about it. Everything after that is blank." she lied, and she swore she saw disappointment in his eyes. But it was replaced by a steely hardness that removed all traces of vulnerability she thought she'd seen.

"Oh. Well, maybe that's an okay thing. You _were_ pretty drunk." Dean tried joking, but she could tell he was hurt.

She so desperately wanted to tell him, but it just wasn't the right time...at least, that's what she kept telling herself. But even she knew it wasn't true. Any second one of them would get their guys ripped out, so wasn't now as good a time as any?

"Hey, Dean—" Danni started, but broke off as she noticed Dean's duffel, all packed up and ready to go.

"You leaving?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "Once Sam gets back with our breakfast and coffee."

"Why?" she demanded, then realized that talking loudly probably wasn't a good idea when her head pounded. God, she needed some aspirin.

"Case is over, Danni. Why stay?" Dean replied, like it should've been obvious.

Yeah, it should've been obvious, but her still-partially-drunk brain just wasn't making the connection.

"You look...upset," Dean said, eyeing her with concern.

"No, no...I'm fine." she muttered. "I just...I don't know... Guess I didn't expect you to leave so soon."

"Yeah, well, you know me…don't like to stay in any town too long. Look, maybe I can call you at some point. Maybe we can get together for a drink or something before…" he trailed off, but Danni knew what was supposed to go after that 'before'. "Uh, anyway…I'll see you around."

"Yeah," she whispered, though she doubted he heard her as he turned for the door, hoisting his duffel over one shoulder.

He was two inches from walking out the door. Two inches from walking out of her life. _Maybe we can get a drink before…_before he dies. Something inside Danni snapped. She was tired of running. Tired of being that girl in college who didn't open herself up to anyone. She was tired of being a coward. And she wasn't just going to let Dean die.

"Dean, wait!" she said loudly.

Time froze. She didn't move. Dean didn't move. Absolute silence. Then, finally, after what felt like a hundred years, Dean turned, and for a moment, hope flickered in those amazing green eyes of his.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Danni struggled to get the words out. There was so much she wanted to say, and so little time to say it, because at that moment, the Impala—with Sam behind the wheel—rumbled up to the curb.

"I—" she broke off, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat. "I want to come with you."

Dean blinked. "What?"

She stepped closer. "I want to come with you."

"_Why?_"

Danni felt like she was trying to swallow cotton. "Because…you were right, Dean. That fight we had…I regret every time I wake up in the morning. It's the first thing I think about. In fact, it's about the _only _thing I've thought about the past two months. I ran away. I was a coward. And I said some things to you…awful things—"

"Yeah, well, I was wrong, too. I said some things that I didn't mean." Dean admitted.

"Anyway," she started again, clearing her throat. "Can I? Come with you, I mean."

Dean was silent for a moment before the hint of a smile began tugging up the corner of his lips. "Can you be ready in five minutes?"

"Challenge accepted." she said, not being able to suppress the smile on her face.

Dean laughed, then headed outside to talk to Sam. Danni rushed around the motel she had been sharing with Michael. She put on fresh clothes, then picked up any she had left out. She quickly brushed her teeth and ran her brush through her hair before packing those up, too. She quickly examined herself in the mirror. The bite on her neck from that vamp was already healing and she had several bruises dotting her arms, but other than that she was fine. She pulled on her boots, shrugged into her leather jacket, then headed outside into the chilly December air.

Dean and Sam were leaning against the hood of the Impala, eating a hasty breakfast and sipping their scalding coffees. But Danni headed over to Michael, who was coming out of the other motel room.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey. How you feelin'?" he asked, no doubt talking about her drunken state from the night before.

"It's a hangover. Nothing I haven't experienced before. I should be asking _you _how you're feeling, after…Megan, and all." She replied.

Honestly, Danni…I'm good. I mean, I had to kill my vampire of a sister last night, but I'm okay." Michael said, a sad smile on his face. "Truth is, I accepted the fact that the Megan I knew, the sister I knew, had died a long time ago. I accepted nine years ago that I was never going to see her again. Because despite that vamp looking like my sister, she wasn't. Not anymore."

"Still, she was your sister once. Just…call me if you need anything, okay?" she said.

"Call you?" Michael asked, and Danni realized what she'd said. "You leaving with Dean and Sam?"

"Michael, I—"

"Good."

"Wait, what?" she asked, not quite sure if she'd heard him right or not.

"I said god. They're your friends. And I think I need some time by myself anyway. Just to…adjust, I guess." Michael replied, giving her a kind smile, and Danni realized that the guy she knew in college—the cheating, lying, idiot of a guy she knew—was gone. He'd grown up.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "For everything. Stay in touch, okay?"

"I will. I want you to tell me how it works out anyway," Michael grinned and pulled her into a hug before she could even react to what he'd just said.

"I will, by the way, tell you how it works out." She whispered into his tan aviator's jacket, then pulled away from his embrace. "One last thing,"

Danni rummaged in her pockets and pulled out the keys to the Mustang, dropping them into Michael's hands.

"The Mustang? You're giving me the keys to the Mustang?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"I stole it from you, remember? I'm just giving it back." She teased, then glanced over at the two boys who had quickly become her best friends. "Besides, I think I'm more into Impala's anyway."

Michael laughed, pulled her into one last hug, and then she watched him as he threw his bag into the Mustang and drove off.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Danni sat on the couch in Bobby's den with Dean, channel flipping, listening to Sam, Dean, and Bobby argue. She'd been back for a week, and they had all already settled back into much the same routine they'd had two months ago. Needless to say, it was almost like she'd never left. Almost.

"Bobby! Can I borrow the Pontiac?" Sam shouted from upstairs.

"Now why would I let you borrow _my _car when the Impala runs perfectly fine?" Bobby replied loudly, as Sam came back downstairs, packed duffel in hand, shoving his feet into his shoes as he prepared to leave for Gwen's.

"Because, he is _not _taking my car, not in this weather, and _especially _not to Michigan." Dean answered loudly, even though Sam and Bobby were both right there.

"Dean, let your brother use the Impala. It's for one weekend." Bobby said.

"No!" Dean yelled. "Have you seen the weather that's coming in? I'm not gonna let my baby get stuck in some snow storm, just to have her get rescued by some careless tow-truck company who will mutilate the frame."

"Fender bender? That's what you're worried about?" Bobby asked sarcastically.

"Well if you're so sure nothing bad will happen, then it's perfectly fine if he takes the Pontiac," Dean snapped back.

"You know, Sam, if you had just brought back that junker I let you use last time, we wouldn't be having this problem," Bobby said, looking pointedly at the younger Winchester.

"Hey, don't turn this around on me! All I want is a car to drive so I can go spend the weekend—" Sam was cut off by Dean.

"With your girlfriend, we know."

"You're just jealous—"

"You know, guys, there is an old truck alongside the garage that runs just fine." Danni interjected before Sam and Dean got involved in a cat-fight.

All three men stared at her.

"What?" she asked innocently, taking a sip of her beer.

"You couldn't have mentioned this, I dunno, _twenty minutes ago_?" Dean said.

She shrugged. "It was more entertaining to see you guys fight,"

"Oh, well, so glad we could entertain you," he replied sarcastically.

"Thanks, Danni. I'll see you guys Monday." Sam said, shutting the door quietly behind him.

After Sam left, things quieted down. Dean took the remote from her, but they still found nothing to watch, so they flipped the TV off. It was only 9:30 on a Friday night, but there was nothing to watch and Danni didn't really feel like talking.

"I think I'm gonna head upstairs, guys." She said, pushing off the couch.

Bobby muttered something unintelligible, and Dean just waved her off with a hand. Yep, almost back to normal. The only thing that wasn't the way before was the fact that she was ready to confront Dean, tell him she did, in fact, remember everything from her drunken state. She just hadn't found the right time to tell them. Once upstairs, Danni just lay in her bed, thinking about how she could approach the situation. She wanted to tell him, she was ready to tell him…the question was how to tell him? She laid like that till her beer ran out. And she definitely wanted another one.

Danni padded downstairs barefoot and threw her empty bottle away in the kitchen. She was about to grab another beer form the fridge and paused. She headed back into the den, noticing that something was missing from the usual scene.

"Where's Bobby?" she turned around to ask Dean, who was leaning against the doorjamb.

Dean paused a second before responding. "He left on a supply run, about five minutes ago. He said he might've found a spell to help us track Bane, but there were some things he needed. He should be back in a few hours."

Dean didn't say it outright, but Danni knew what he was implying. With Sam in Detroit and Bobby on a sudden supply run, her and Dean were alone. She would've said something, but then his phone rang.

He checked the caller I.D., and chuckled. "Speak of the devil. Hey, Bobby, what's up?"

Dean paused as Bobby spoke.

Dean's brow wrinkled and muttered. "Go outside, okay, hang on."

Danni watched as Dean headed through the kitchen and went out through the back door, letting it slam behind him. A minute later, Dean came back in, hair windblown, snow coating his shoulders and hair. He shook his head, depositing the white fluff everywhere.

"Yup, Bobby. Okay. Yup. We will. Yeah, yeah, break it, buy it, I know. Bye." Dean hung up and looked at her.

"Well?" she prompted.

Dean ran a hand over his snow-damp hair. "Yeah, he's not coming back till Monday either. Snow storm. I told him, but does anybody listen to me? Nope. And now, because of that, he's stuck at some dingy motel and we're here nice and safe."

Two seconds later, the lights flickered haphazardly. At first, they both thought demon, reaching for the nearest salt-round-loaded weapon, until the house was plunged into utter blackness.

"You just _had _to say something, didn't you?" Danni muttered, and even though she couldn't see him, she swore he shrugged.

Fifteen minutes later, after much bumping into furniture and Dean yelling 'Son of a bitch' at least a dozen times, they got the fireplace lit, and put candle—which Bobby had no shortage of—in each room they were using. After they had finished, Dean kicked off his boots and socks, shrugged out of his jacket, and slumped down on the couch. Danni followed, handing him one of the beers she had retrieved form the fridge while he had been lighting candles around the room. They sat in silence for about five minutes; the only sounds were the crackle of the flames in the fireplace and the animalistic howling of the wind outside as it shook the power lines and roared over the house. Finally, she decided that now was as good a time as any to tell him.

"Hey, Dean?" she started, her voice coming out a lot smaller than intended.

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath, setting her beer down on the side table next to her. "You know last week, after that vamp case-"

"When you got drunk? Yeah, I remember," he smirked.

Danni let out a short laugh. "Yeah, well…I told you I didn't remember everything that happened."

"I do recall you saying that."

"Well…I do. Remember everything, I mean. I remember all the things I said to you," she paused, looking over at Dean. He didn't look upset that she lied to him, just expectant. Waiting for her to continue.

"I meant it, what I said to you that night. And I'm tired of being a coward about all of this, you know Bane a-and you…and that kiss, and I know I ran, and that was really stupid because I didn't want to…I don't even know why I did really, I just wasn't ready, I guess, I don't know, but I think I am now, and—"

Her babbling was cut off as Dean leaned over and kissed her. This time, she didn't stop him. She let herself fall into the feelings she'd had for the past however many months now. She kissed him back, winding her hands around his neck, running her fingers through his still slightly damp hair. His rough, calloused hands were cupping her face with a gentleness she never would've associated with Dean Winchester. Their mouths moved together perfectly, his lips so soft and warm. She let him pull her closer into his arms, the warmth of his body rivaling that of the fire blazing behind them.

**And there you go, chapter 30!**

**I'm going to try really hard to update in the next week, so stay tuned! Next chapter? The morning after, and a little twist that I don't think you guys will be expecting at all =)**

**Don't forget to review, and tell me what you think!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


End file.
